a sea nymph transformed into a sea monster believed to drown sailors navigating the Strait of Messina. She was identified with a rock off the Italian coast
Compare Charybdis
2. between Scylla and Charybdis
Scylla in American English
(ˈsɪlə)
noun
a dangerous rock on the Italian side of the Straits of Messina, opposite the whirlpool Charybdis: in classical mythology both Scylla and Charybdis were personified as female monsters
Idioms:
between Scylla and Charybdis
Word origin
L < Gr Skylla
Examples of 'Scylla' in a sentence
Scylla
Admit it - that reference to Scylla and Charybdis took yoU aback.
Trenhalle, John A MEANS TO EVIL
Ajax was as helpless as Odysseus" craft ever was, drifting between Scylla and Charybdis, hoping against hope.
Weldon, Fay SPLITTING
How to effect this, given the electronic Scylla and Charybdis hereinbefore mentioned?
Trenhalle, John A MEANS TO EVIL
Cars crept down Ninth Street, navigating between the stalls and debris like an urban Scylla and Charybdis.