between the devil and the deep blue sea
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
In a dilemma.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
Is the inescapable conclusion, therefore, that the régime finds itself between the devil and the deep blue sea?
Poor old British Rail were between the devil and the deep blue sea.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “between the devil and the deep blue sea” mean?
In a dilemma.
Is “between the devil and the deep blue sea” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.