on the horns of a dilemma
Syllables: on the horns of a di·lem·maUK/ɒn‿ðə ˈhɔːnz‿əv‿ə daɪˈlɛmə/
on the horns of a dilemma prepositional phrase: facing a choice between two equally undesirable alternatives.
Prepositional phrase
- Facing a choice between two equally undesirable alternatives.
- To admit of the abſolute foreknovvledge of God, and yet to deny his predeſtination, even in its fulleſt extent, is a palpable abſurdity. The diſputant ſticks faſt on the horns of a dilemma, from vvhich he never can be diſengaged, vvithout the extraction of one. And yet to deny either, involves an...1779 May, “K.” [pseudonym], “The Church of England Vindicated: or A Defence of the Visible Church of Christ, as Established by the Legislative Authority of this Realm: In Answer to All Objections...
- They vvere ſtuck on the horns of a dilemma, that ſorely pricked them; unable to find a better ſituation, and unreſolved to quit their preſent one.1784, “An Advocate for Justice” [pseudonym], Oppression Unmasked: Being a Narrative of the Proceedings in a Case between a Great Corporation, and a Little Fishmonger. […], Dublin: [s.n.], →OCLC...
- Synonyms:
- between a rock and a hard place, between Scylla and Charybdis, damned if one does and damned if one doesn't, between the devil and the deep blue sea, between the hammer and the anvil, between two fires, doomed if you do, doomed if you don't, in a cleft stick, in bad bread
on the horns of a dilemma meaning in Malayalam
on the horns of a dilemma in Malayalam
- between the devil and the deep blue sea, between Scylla and Charybdis, between a rock and a hard place
- ധർമ്മസങ്കടത്തിൽ, പിശാചിനും കടലിനും ഇടയ്ക്ക്, ചെകുത്താനും കടലിനുമിടയിൽ, ദുർഘടസന്ധിയിൽ, ധാർമ്മികസന്ദിഗ്ദ്ധതയിൽ, പഞ്ചാഗ്നിനടുവിൽ
Examples of on the horns of a dilemma in a sentence
- The diſputant ſticks faſt on the horns of a dilemma, from vvhich he never can be diſengaged, vvithout the extraction of one.1779 May, “K.” [pseudonym], “The Church of England Vindicated: or A Defence of the Visible Church of Christ, as Established by the...
- Thus was he impaled on the horns of a dilemma.1902, Basil Thomson, “Westward Ho!”, in Savage Island: An Account of a Sojourn in Niué and Tonga, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, pages...
- Ignatius [of Loyola] was on the horns of a dilemma.1917, C[yril] C[harlie] Martindale, “The Duke of Gandia”, in Edmund Lester, editor, In God’s Army: II. Captains of Christ: St. Francis...
Synonyms of on the horns of a dilemma
- between a rock and a hard place
- between Scylla and Charybdis
- damned if one does and damned if one doesn't
- between the devil and the deep blue sea
- between the hammer and the anvil
- between two fires
- doomed if you do
- doomed if you don't
- in a cleft stick
- in bad bread
Origin of on the horns of a dilemma
From horn (“alternative in an argument”), from Latin argūmentum cornūtum (“argument with alternatives”, literally “horned argument”), a reference to an alternative that one can metaphorically get caught on or injured by.
Words that rhyme with on the horns of a dilemma
1 more rhymesFewer rhymes
Questions about on the horns of a dilemma
- What does on the horns of a dilemma mean?
- On the horns of a dilemma means facing a choice between two equally undesirable alternatives.
- What is on the horns of a dilemma in Malayalam?
- On the horns of a dilemma in Malayalam is ധർമ്മസങ്കടത്തിൽ, പിശാചിനും കടലിനും ഇടയ്ക്ക്, ചെകുത്താനും കടലിനുമിടയിൽ. See On the horns of a dilemma meaning in Malayalam.
- How do you use on the horns of a dilemma in a sentence?
- The diſputant ſticks faſt on the horns of a dilemma, from vvhich he never can be diſengaged, vvithout the extraction of one.
- What part of speech is on the horns of a dilemma?
- On the horns of a dilemma is a prepositional phrase.
- How do you pronounce on the horns of a dilemma?
- On the horns of a dilemma is pronounced /ɒn‿ðə ˈhɔːnz‿əv‿ə daɪˈlɛmə/ (UK).
Words near on the horns of a dilemma in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: on the horns of a dilemma (page history and authors); on the horns of a dilemma (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-on the horns of a dilemma.ogg.
Cite this entry: “on the horns of a dilemma.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/on_the_horns_of_a_dilemma. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.