Being in a dilemma where the only two available options will both lead to unsatisfactory results.
If someone had to make the choice of putting either their favorite pet cat or dog up for adoption, since both choices are equally unfavorable, the popular expressionBetween A Rock And A Hard Place is an approriate way of explaining the difficulty in the decision.
The phrase origin of this idiom seems to have its roots in the United States, and according to the site Phrases, the earliest recorded print is from the Dialect Notes V, from 1921, where it reads: "To be between a rock and a hard place, to be bankrupt. Common in Arizona in recent panics; sporadic in California."
Dialect Notes is referring to the Bisbee Deportation in 1917, where thousands of miners and their supporters in Bisbee, Arizona, were on strike due to poor working conditions and low pay. A man named Phelps Dodge, the owner of a large mining company, refused their demands and was displeased by their choice to strike against him. To get rid of them, he illegally deported them to a far away place in New Mexico.
It was a tough situation for the workers to be in, as they had two options: remain stuck with a job that had a dangerous working environment with low pay; or go on strike and risk unemployment and being poor as a result. Both of these options are not so great, hence the meaning of this popular saying.
Examples of the Common Idiom Being Used In Sentences:
"I'm between a rock and a hard place... on one hand I can go to the movies with my friends, or I can choose to go to dinner with my lovely girlfriend."
"Mariah found herself between a rock and a hard place when she received a big dent to her car. She either had to spend the money and have it repaired, or drive around with an unsightly dent on her vehicle."
Are you having trouble as to which common idioms you should look up next? Well, try not thinking about it, just click on one!
Note: The origins for most phrases, like the expression on this page, it can be difficult to track the exact person or place responsible for its manifestation. What's provided is around the earliest time the saying was recorded.
Typically these older sayings are found in old newspapers or books, sometimes plays or poems, but when it is being included in these forms of media, then the meaning of the phrase is commonly known already. This means the origins of the idiom are probably much older than the printed date it was being used in.
Also, while you are down here, do me a favor and scroll back up, because none of your favorite expressions are down here!
knowyourphrase.com - Meanings and Origins of Phrases
