entre le marteau et l'enclume
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɑ̃.tʁə l(ə) maʁ.to e l‿ɑ̃.klym/
Adverb
- (literally) between the hammer and the anvil
- (by extension, idiomatic) between a rock and a hard place; between the devil and the deep blue sea
Usage notes
In the idiomatic sense loosely identical to “be in a bad situation”; not as strong as between a rock and a hard place and it doesn't catch the idea of being forced to take into account antagonist interests (the “hammer” and the “anvil”). When a decision is hard to make between one or the opposite one, neither of them being ideal.
Synonyms
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