Are You Stuck 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place?'

 

Now, the VOA Learning English program, Words and Their Stories.

On this program we explore the origins and usage of common expressions in American English.

And we are happy that you have decided¹ to learn English. It is a good choice. There is really no downside in learning a new language, especially a useful one. But not all choices are as harmless. Some decisions have no good choice.

Today we will talk about those.

English has many words and expressions that describe those times when you must make a choice but all of your options are terrible!

For starters, you can say you are between a rock and a hard place. This is when you must decide between two things that are equally unpleasant.

Greek origin

Many cultures have their own version of this story. But one of the most famous is the Greek story of Scylla and Charybdis.

You consider me the young apprentice²

Caught between the Scylla and Charybdis

Hypnotized by you if I should linger

Staring at the ring around your finger

(The Police sing the song “Wrapped Around Your Finger.”)

The online resource Encyclopedia³ Britannica explains that in Greek mythology⁴, Scylla and Charybdis were two immortal⁵ monsters. They terrorized ships that tried to travel the Strait of Messina, a narrow waterway between Sicily and the Italian mainland.

Scylla is the personification -- the human representation of a non-human thing -- of sharp rocks and other objects along the coast. Scylla destroyed ships that came too close.

Charybdis is the personification of a whirlpool, a dangerous water formation in seas and oceans. Charybdis also destroyed ships that came too close but in a very different way.

But both could kill you! And they were located so close to each other that they gave sailors an almost impossible choice. Avoiding Charybdis meant passing too close to Scylla and vice⁶ versa.

And that is what “being between a rock and hard place” means. You are in an impossibly difficult situation with no good choices.

So really, you must choose between the lesser⁷ of two evils.

Now, let’s hear this used in a conversation between two friends. A woman is planning a birthday party for her son. And a friend who offers to help finds himself in a dilemma⁸, a real pickle⁹ – you know a difficult situation! He has a hard decision to make.

Can I help with the birthday party?

Oh yes! Thank you so much!

Of course! It’s your son’s birthday. I’m happy to help.

Well, I need to take my dog to the vet¹⁰ later today. But I also promised my son that I would take him and his friends out for ice cream after the party. So, can you either take the dog or the kids?

Ah … how many kids?

Seven. No wait. Eight. And they will probably all be ready for a nap.

So they’ll be tired and quiet?

No. They will be irritable¹¹ and over-excited because they’ve had too much sugar.

Argh. That sounds terrible. But then again, I’m not really a dog person. Is she good in the car?

She hates it! But not as much as she hates the doctor. She will probably bark the whole time.

Okay. So, I can either take an unhappy, barking dog to the vet. Or I can take a car full of overly excited six-year-olds out for messy ice cream.

Right. But I’ll pay for the ice cream and I’ll pay to have your car cleaned afterward¹² – no matter which one you choose.

(sighs)

Well?

I don’t know! I have a dilemma. I'm still weighing my options. They are both so bad!

I didn’t mean to put you between a rock and hard place. But you did offer.

Now, you may have also heard the expression: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t!

This may sound the same as “being between a rock and a hard place” but we use it a little differently.

If you are damned if you do, damned if you don’t – it means that no matter what you do, someone is going to be angry or upset with you. Being between a rock and a hard place involves your choosing between two terrible choices.

Now whenever you have to choose between these expressions, you will know which one to use. And luckily choosing between them will not put you between a rock and a hard place.

And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories.

Is there a time when you found yourself between a rock and a hard place? Let us know in the comments section using the words and expressions you heard here.

Until next time … I’m Anna Matteo!

Between a rock and a hard place

Whether I like it or not I'm digging my grave

Friends ask me why I choose to stay

Between a rock and a hard place ...

Words in This Story

option – n. the opportunity or ability to choose something or to choose between two or more things

terrible – adj. extremely bad

immortal – adj. not capable of dying : living forever

personification – n. representation of a thing or abstraction as a person or by the human form

whirlpool – n. a rapid swirl¹³ of water with a low place in the center into which floating objects are drawn¹⁴

vice versa – adv. with the order changed

irritable – adj. becoming angry or annoyed easily

weighing my options – idiomatic¹⁵ expression : thinking carefully about options or choices

vet – n. short for veterinarian, a doctor that treats animals

dilemma – n. a usually undesirable¹⁶ or unpleasant choice a problem involving a difficult choice

pickle – n. a difficult situation

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

3 encyclopedia   

n.百科全书

参考例句：

• The encyclopedia fell to the floor with a thud.那本百科全书砰的一声掉到地上。
• Geoff is a walking encyclopedia.He knows about everything.杰夫是个活百科全书，他什么都懂。

4 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

5 immortal   

adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的

参考例句：

• The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。
• The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽！

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

8 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

9 pickle   

n.腌汁，泡菜；v.腌，泡

参考例句：

• Mother used to pickle onions.妈妈过去常腌制洋葱。
• Meat can be preserved in pickle.肉可以保存在卤水里。

10 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

11 irritable   

adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的

参考例句：

• He gets irritable when he's got toothache.他牙一疼就很容易发脾气。
• Our teacher is an irritable old lady.She gets angry easily.我们的老师是位脾气急躁的老太太。她很容易生气。

12 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

13 swirl   

v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形

参考例句：

• The car raced roughly along in a swirl of pink dust.汽车在一股粉红色尘土的漩涡中颠簸着快速前进。
• You could lie up there,watching the flakes swirl past.你可以躺在那儿，看着雪花飘飘。

14 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

15 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。

16 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。