on the horns of a dilemma

Language: en

Meaning: (idiomatic)Facingachoicebetweentwoequallyundesirablealternatives.Synonyms:between a rock and a hard place,between Scylla and Charybdis,damned if one does and damned if one doesn't;see alsoThesaurus:in a dilemma1779May, “K.”[pseudonym], “The Church of England Vindicated: or A Defence of the Visible Church of Christ, as Established by the Legislative Authority of this Realm: In Answer to All Objections which have been Offered by Dissidents of Every Denomination. With a Prefatory Address to the Pious and Learned Prelates of Great Britain and Ireland.8vo. 6s. Thorn, Exeter; Wallis, London.[book review]”, inWilliam Kenrick, William Shakespeare Kenrick,et al., editors,The London Review of English and Foreign Literature, volume IX, London:[…]T[homas]Evans,[…],→OCLC,page319:To admit of theabſoluteforeknovvledge of God, and yet to deny hispredeſtination, even in its fulleſt extent, is a palpable abſurdity. The diſputant ſticks faſton the horns of a dilemma, from vvhich he never can be diſengaged, vvithout the extraction of one. And yet to deny either, involves an equal abſurdity, and leaves the poor logician in the ſame predicament;[…]1784, “An Advocate for Justice”[pseudonym],Oppression Unmasked: Being a Narrative of the Proceedings in a Case between a Great Corporation, and a Little Fishmonger.[…], Dublin:[s.n.],→OCLC,pages25–26:They vvere ſtuckon the horns of adilemma, that ſorely pricked them; unable to find a better ſituation, and unreſolved to quit their preſent one.1875July, G. C. Stent, “A Dream Concerning a Cash. (Translated from the Chinese.)”, in [Nicholas Belfield Dennys], editor,The China Review: Or, Notes and Queries on the Far East, volume IV, number 1, Hong Kong: “China Mail” Office,[…],→OCLC,page27, column 2:We areon the horns of a dilemma. If things go on in this manner and the rebellion is not suppressed, in a short time government won't have any copper and there is no knowing what may happen. If we get news of victory over the rebels,ourdoom is sealed, for it's my belief that every one of us will be put into the crucible and reduced to so much waste copper.1902,Basil Thomson, “Westward Ho!”, inSavage Island: An Account of a Sojourn in Niué and Tonga, London:John Murray,[…],→OCLC,pages147–148:He was busy organising opposition to Lord Ranfurly [Uchter Knox, 5th Earl of Ranfurly], when, in an unlucky moment for his cause, he was called up to sign the deed of cession as the representative of Avatele. Thus was he impaledon the horns of a dilemma. If he refused, another would have gone down to posterity as a greater than he in his own village; if he accepted, he stultified his own words.1917,C[yril] C[harlie] Martindale, “The Duke of Gandia”, in Edmund Lester, editor,In God’s Army: II. Captains of Christ: St. Francis Borgia, St.John Francis Regis, St.Peter Claver(Stella Maris Series), London; Manchester: R. & T. Washbourne,[…],→OCLC,pages43–44:Ignatius [of Loyola] wason the horns of a dilemma. ShouldFrancis [Borgia] remain in Spain, his fate was fixed. Should he escape to Rome, the Pope [Pope Julius III] would certainly make him a Cardinal.

Examples:

EN: Yes. Yes. This places us on the horns of a dilemma.
ES: Esto nos coloca en los cuernos de un dilema.
EN: Fester, you've caught me on the horns of a dilemma.
ES: Lucas, me pescaste en medio de un dilema.
EN: The world's most civilized countries... are on the horns of a dilemma
ES: Hoy, en los países civilizados asistimos a un espectáculo inaudito.
EN: I sense you're on the horns of a dilemma.
ES: Y creo que estás en un dilema.
EN: "you're on the horns of a dilemma"
ES: "estás sobre ios cuernos del dilema"
ES: "estás sobre ios cuernos del dilema"
ES: "estás sobre ios cuernos del dilema"
ES: "estás sobre los cuernos del dilema"
ES: "estás sobre los cuernos del dilema"
ES: "estás sobre los cuernos del dilema"
EN: Gentlemen, we are on the horns of a dilemma.
ES: Señores, estamos en los cuernos de un dilema.
EN: Ooh, you've put me on the horns of a dilemma.
ES: Me has puesto entre los cuernos de un grave dilema.
EN: I'm on the horns of a dilemma.
ES: Tengo un gran dilema.
ES: Estoy en medio de un dilema.
EN: I'm on the horns of a dilemma
ES: Estoy inmersa en un dilema
EN: We're on the horns of a dilemma here, Mr. Warshaw.
ES: Tenemos un dilema ante nosotros, Sr. Warshaw.
EN: The Mumbai police are on the horns of a dilemma... because of an unusual bank robbery.
ES: La policía de Mumbai se encuentra frente a un gran dilema... a causa de un inusual robo.
EN: My colleague explained that you were on the horns of a dilemma.
ES: Mi colega explicó que estaba en un dilema.
EN: I'm a gormless dweeb stuck on the horns of a dilemma.
ES: Soy una mema mentecata en plena encrucijada vital.
EN: But those who stayed, of course suddenly found themselves on the horns of a dilemma because they were not allowed to shoot and at the same time did not want to claim allegiance to the current that came thereafter approximately from the year 1970
ES: Pero los que se quedaron, por supuesto se encontraron de repente con un dilema porque no se les permitió rodar y al mismo tiempo no quería reclamar la lealtad a la corriente que vino después del año 1970 aproximadamente,
EN: They were on the horns of a dilemma.
ES: Obviamente tomaron la decisión correcta.

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