entre le marteau et l'enclume

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French

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ɑ̃.tʁə l(ə) maʁ.to e l‿ɑ̃.klym/

Adverb

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entre le marteau et l’enclume

  1. (literally) between the hammer and the anvil
  2. (by extension, idiomatic) between a rock and a hard place; between the devil and the deep blue sea
    J’étais entre le marteau et l’enclume, car si je ne contractais pas un autre prêt - et ne m’endettais pas davantage - je ne pourrais pas rembourser les dettes que j’avais déjà.
    I was between a rock and a hard place, for if I didn't take out another loan—and go deeper into debt—I could not pay off the debts I already owed.

Usage notes

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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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See also

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