Meaning of between the hammer and the anvil | Babel Free
Definitions
With the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary.
UK, idiomatic
Equivalents
Deutsch
zwischen Hammer und Amboss
Ελληνικά
μεταξύ σφύρας και άκμονος
Suomi
puun ja kuoren välissä
Italiano
tra l'incudine e il martello
Polski
między młotem a kowadłem
Русский
ме́жду мо́лотом и накова́льней
Examples
“Yet for a time the nation was again placed between the democracy of the levellers and the despotism of the Stuarts, — between the hammer and the anvil.”
“The sinner / Will testify / They'll suffer / When sacrificed on high / The burning sermons purge their evil words / Between the hammer and the anvil”
CEFR level
C2
Mastery
This word is part of the CEFR C2 vocabulary — mastery level.
This word is part of the CEFR C2 vocabulary — mastery level.