Re: "between a rock and a hard place"
Posted by ESC on February 05, 2000 In Reply to: "Between a rock and a hard place"
posted by liz on February 05, 2000
: I looking for the origin of the phrase "caught (or stuck) between
a rock and a hard place". Thanks
BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE -- From "Random House Dictionary
of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" (1996) by Gregory Y. Titelman(Random
House, New York, 1996): "Between a rock and a hard place. Forced
to choose between two unpleasant options. The expression originated
in the early twentieth century in the United States. It usually
follows 'to be caught'." The "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins"
by Robert Hendrickson (Fact on File, New York, 1997) says "the expression
was probably born in Arizona during a financial panic early in this
century."
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