of two evils choose the less
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The proverb is given in John Hey wood's collection (1546), but it is a good deal earlier, and occurs in Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde (ii, 470) as — Of harmes two, the lesse is for to chese.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “of two evils choose the less” mean?
The proverb is given in John Hey wood's collection (1546), but it is a good deal earlier, and occurs in Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde (ii, 470) as — Of harmes two, the lesse is for to chese.
Is “of two evils choose the less” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.