bɪˈtwiːn ˈsɪlə ænd kəˈrɪbdɪs
General
formal
advanced
- Literally:
- Between the sea monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis
What does "between scylla and charybdis" mean?
Caught between two equally dangerous alternatives
Examples
- The CEO was caught between Scylla and Charybdis: lay off workers or risk bankruptcy.
- The diplomat tried to satisfy both feuding nations.
- The small country found itself between Scylla and Charybdis during the trade war.
Origin
From Homer's Odyssey.
How to use it
Highly literary. Found in academic writing and journalism.
Similar expressions
between a rock and a hard place
on the horns of a dilemma
Opposites
win-win situation
easy choice
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "between scylla and charybdis" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.