Between the devil and the deep blue sea
Idiom / PhraseSSC PYQ × 4Between two equally unacceptable choices
इधर कुआँ, उधर खाई
Accept a transfer or resign: he was between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Daily use: Dono taraf musibat, between the devil and the deep sea.
एक ओर devil, दूसरी ओर deep blue sea — बचने का रास्ता दोनों तरफ़ बंद। इसका अर्थ है दो बराबर बुरे विकल्पों के बीच फँसना, बिल्कुल 'इधर कुआँ, उधर खाई' की तरह।
On one side stands the devil, on the other lies the deep blue sea: the way out is closed in both directions. It means being caught between two equally bad choices, just like 'इधर कुआँ, उधर खाई'.
इसका अर्थ है दो बराबर अस्वीकार्य विकल्पों के बीच dilemma। Options में 'dilemma', 'quandary' और 'Hobson's choice' आते हैं; इसके जुड़वाँ हैं 'between a rock and a hard place' और 'between Scylla and Charybdis'। 'On the horns of a dilemma' का भी यही sense है।
It means a dilemma between two equally unacceptable choices. 'Dilemma', 'quandary' and 'Hobson's choice' appear in options; its twins are 'between a rock and a hard place' and 'between Scylla and Charybdis'. 'On the horns of a dilemma' has the same sense.