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单词 between the devil and the deep blue sea
释义

between the devil and the deep blue sea


dev·il

D0179400 (dĕv′əl)n.1. often Devil In many religions, the major personified spirit of evil, ruler of Hell, and foe of God. Used with the.2. A subordinate evil spirit; a demon.3. A wicked or malevolent person.4. A person: a handsome devil; the poor devil.5. An energetic, mischievous, daring, or clever person.6. Printing A printer's devil.7. A device or machine, especially one having teeth or spikes and used for tearing.8. An outstanding example, especially of something difficult or bad: has a devil of a temper.9. A severe reprimand or expression of anger: gave me the devil for cutting class.10. Informal Used as an intensive: Who the devil do you think you are?tr.v. dev·iled, dev·il·ing, dev·ils or dev·illed or dev·il·ling 1. To season (food) heavily.2. To annoy, torment, or harass.3. To tear up (cloth or rags) in a toothed machine.Idioms: between the devil and the deep blue sea Between two equally unacceptable choices. full of the devil Very energetic, mischievous, daring, or clever. give the devil his due To give credit to a disagreeable or malevolent person. go to the devil1. To be unsuccessful; fail.2. To become depraved.3. Used in the imperative to express anger or impatience. play the devil with To upset or ruin. the devil take the hindmost Let each person follow self-interest, leaving others to fare as they may. the devil to pay Trouble to be faced as a result of an action: There'll be the devil to pay if you allow the piglets inside the house.
[Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, from Latin diabolus, from Late Greek diabolos, from Greek, slanderer, from diaballein, to slander : dia-, dia- + ballein, to hurl; see gwelə- in Indo-European roots.]

between the devil and the deep blue sea

In a position between two undesirable alternatives; from the old nautical use of the word devil to mean a ship’s gunwale. Someone suspended, eg for painting the ship, over the gunwale would have only the sea below him.

between the devil and the deep blue sea


between the devil and the deep blue sea

Facing two equally unpleasant, dangerous, or risky alternatives, when the avoidance of one ensures encountering the harm of the other. I was between the devil and the deep blue sea, for if I didn't take out another loan—and go deeper into debt—I could not pay off the debts I already owed. The police knew with certainty he had drugs in his car, so he became trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea: either lie to the police, or admit that the drugs belonged to him.See also: and, between, blue, deep, devil, sea

devil and deep blue sea

see under between a rock and a hard place. See also: and, blue, deep, devil, sea

between the devil and the deep blue sea

mainly BRITISHIf you are between the devil and the deep blue sea, you are in a difficult situation where the two possible courses of action or choices that you can take are equally bad. I can see you're caught between the devil and the deep blue sea — if you support your daughter, your partner will be hurt. Note: The origin of this expression is in shipping, not religion. It is unclear exactly what the `devil' was, but it is thought to have been some kind of seam or plank that was awkward and dangerous to reach, so a sailor who had to make it waterproof was in a very unsafe position, and risked falling into the water. See also: and, between, blue, deep, devil, sea

between the devil and the deep blue sea

caught in a dilemma; trapped between two equally dangerous alternatives.See also: and, between, blue, deep, devil, sea

between the ˌdevil and the deep blue ˈsea

in a situation where you have to choose between two things that are equally bad: In this situation, the government finds itself caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.See also: and, between, blue, deep, devil, sea

between the devil and the deep blue sea

Between two equally unacceptable choices.See also: and, between, blue, deep, devil, sea

between the devil and the deep blue sea

A choice between two evils. A term dating back to the early seventeenth century, it referred not to the devil of hellfire and brimstone but to a seam around a ship’s hull near the waterline. A sailor attempting to caulk this seam in heavy seas was in danger of falling overboard and drowning. The term was used figuratively—to mean any dilemma in which one faced danger—from that time on. It became a cliché about the middle of the eighteenth century. See also: and, between, blue, deep, devil, sea
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更新时间:2025/2/23 21:04:19