hold (or have) a wolf by the ears
Be in a precarious position: we may end up holding the wolf by the ears...- I think Thomas Jefferson hit the nail on the head when he likened slavery to holding a wolf by the ears: ‘… we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go.’
- A mind can more easily hold a wolf by the ears than steady itself in spiritual experience.
- When you're holding a wolf by the ears, it's a dangerous situation and there is no way to escape without injury.
See parent entry: wolf