Between a rock and a hard place?
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Would">Would</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="please">please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="phrase">phrase</span> “<span word="between">between</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="rock">rock</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="place">place</span>”?</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="This">This</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="American">American</span> <span word="idiom">idiom</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="great">great</span> <span word="one">one</span>.</p><p><span word="Got">Got</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="love">love</span> <span word="American">American</span> <span word="idioms">idioms</span> – <span word="They">They</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="simple">simple</span>, <span word="vivid">vivid</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="guess">guess</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="meaning">meaning</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="literal">literal</span> <span word="analysis">analysis</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="words">words</span> <span word="involved">involved</span>.</p><p><span word="A">A</span> <span word="rock">rock</span>, <span word="you">you</span> <span word="see">see</span>, <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="place">place</span>. <span word="And">And</span> <span word="therefore">therefore</span> <span word="if">if</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="stuck">stuck</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="between">between</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="rock">rock</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="place">place</span>, <span word="you">you</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="caught">caught</span> <span word="between">between</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="places">places</span>. <span word="Or">Or</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="rocks">rocks</span>, <span word="take">take</span> <span word="your">your</span> <span word="pick">pick</span>. <span word="And">And</span> <span word="you">you</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="unable">unable</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="move">move</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="there">there</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="little">little</span> <span word="room">room</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="maneuvering">maneuvering</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="there">there</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="words">words</span>, <span word="you">you</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="difficulty">difficulty</span>, <span word="facing">facing</span> <span word="tough">tough</span> <span word="choices">choices</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="make">make</span>, <span word="getting">getting</span> <span word="caught">caught</span> <span word="between">between</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="opposing">opposing</span> <span word="forces">forces</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="equal">equal</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="strengths">strengths</span>. <span word="You">You</span> <span word="don">don</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="know">know</span> <span word="whether">whether</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="turn">turn</span> <span word="left">left</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="right">right</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="go">go</span> <span word="forward">forward</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="take">take</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="step">step</span> <span word="back">back</span>.</p><p><span word="Still">Still</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="useful">useful</span> <span word="words">words</span>, <span word="you">you</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="dilemma">dilemma</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="quandary">quandary</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="colloquial">colloquial</span> <span word="terms">terms</span>, <span word="you">you</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="fix">fix</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="pickle">pickle</span>.</p><p><span word="You">You</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="say">say</span>, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="instance">instance</span>, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="US">US</span> <span word="President">President</span> <span word="Barack">Barack</span> <span word="Obama">Obama</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="currently">currently</span> <span word="caught">caught</span> <span word="between">between</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="rock">rock</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="place">place</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="rock">rock</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="BP">BP</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="giant">giant</span> <span word="responsible">responsible</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="spill">spill</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Gulf">Gulf</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Mexico">Mexico</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="place">place</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="local">local</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="industry">industry</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="wake">wake</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="spill">spill</span>, <span word="Obama">Obama</span> <span word="suspended">suspended</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="offshore">offshore</span> <span word="drilling">drilling</span> – <span word="until">until</span> <span word="further">further</span> <span word="safety">safety</span> <span word="measure">measure</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="secured">secured</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="since">since</span> <span word="drawn">drawn</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="wraths">wraths</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="local">local</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="industry">industry</span>, <span word="which">which</span> <span word="creates">creates</span> <span word="thousands">thousands</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="lucrative">lucrative</span> <span word="jobs">jobs</span>. <span word="Protesters">Protesters</span>, <span word="current">current</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="potential">potential</span> <span word="job">job</span> <span word="losers">losers</span>, <span word="say">say</span> <span word="they">they</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="wrong">wrong</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="punished">punished</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="BP">BP</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="big">big</span> <span word="blunder">blunder</span>.</p>
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