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between a rock and a hard place

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rock

1  [rok]
Use between a rock and a hard place in a Sentence
–noun
1. a large mass of stone forming a hill, cliff, promontory, or the like.
2. Geology.
a. mineral matter of variable composition, consolidated or unconsolidated, assembled in masses or considerable quantities in nature, as by the action of heat or water.
b. a particular kind of such matter: igneous rock.
3. stone in the mass: buildings that stand upon rock.
4. a stone of any size.
5. something resembling or suggesting a rock.
6. a firm foundation or support: The Lord is my rock.
7. Chiefly British. a kind of hard candy, variously flavored.
8. rock candy.
9. Often, rocks. Slang.
a. a piece of money.
b. a dollar bill.
10. Slang.
a. a diamond.
b. any gem.
11. Slang.
a. crack (def. 41).
b. a pellet or lump of crack.
—Idioms
12. between a rock and a hard place, between undesirable alternatives.
13. get one's rocks off, Slang: Vulgar. to have an orgasm.
14. on the rocks,
a. Informal. in or into a state of disaster or ruin: Their marriage is on the rocks.
b. Informal. without funds; destitute; bankrupt.
c. (of a beverage, esp. liquor or a cocktail) with, or containing, ice cubes: Scotch on the rocks; a vodka martini on the rocks.
Origin:
1300–50; 1905–10 for def. 10; ME rokk(e) < OF ro(c)que, roche (cf. roche alum ); cf. Sp, Pr roca, It rocca, ML rocha, rocca (> late OE -rocc in stānrocc “stone-rock”)

Related forms:
rockless, adjective
rocklike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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rock 1   (rŏk)   
n.  

  1. Relatively hard, naturally formed mineral or petrified matter; stone.

    1. A relatively small piece or fragment of such material.

    2. A relatively large body of such material, as a cliff or peak.

    3. A varicolored stick candy.

    4. Rock candy.

  3. A naturally formed aggregate of mineral matter constituting a significant part of the earth's crust.

  4. One that is similar to or suggestive of a mass of stone in stability, firmness, or dependability: The family has been his rock during this difficult time.

  5. rocks Slang Money.

  6. Slang A large gem, especially a diamond.

  7. Slang Crack cocaine.

    1. A varicolored stick candy.

    2. Rock candy.


[Middle English, from Old North French roque, from Vulgar Latin *rocca.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

between a rock and a hard place

Faced with two equally dangerous or difficult choices or circumstances: “Trying to please two supervisors is like being between a rock and a hard place.” This phrase dates from the early twentieth century.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
between a rock and a hard place

  1. mod.
    in a very difficult position; facing a hard decision. : I'm between a rock and a hard place. I don't know what to do.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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rock

  1. n.
    and rock candy. crack, a crystallized form of cocaine. (Drugs. See also rocks.) : Some call it rock candy, and some call it crack.
  2. n.
    a crystallized form of heroin used for smoking. (Drugs.) : Max is hooked on rock—the kind that you smoke. , Powder is everywhere, but you can hardly find rock anymore.
  3. n.
    a diamond or other gemstone. : Look at the size of that rock in her ring.

  4. Go to rocks. :
  5. n.
    a baseball; a basketball. : Michael passed the rock to Scottie, who turned and dropped it in the basket.
  6. in.
    to be really great. : The concerts didn't rock, but we had a good time throwing chairs.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

rock  (v.2)
"to dance to popular music with a strong beat," 1948 (first attested in song title "We're gonna rock"), from rock (v.1), in earlier blues slang sense of "to cause to move with musical rhythm" (1922); often used at first with sexual overtones (cf. 1922 song title "My Man Rocks Me (with One Steady Roll)"). Sense developed early 1950s to "play or dance to rock and roll music." Noun sense of "musical rhythm characterized by a strong beat" is from 1946, in blues slang. Rocksteady, Jamaican pop music style (precursor of reggae), is attested from 1969.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: rock
Pronunciation: 'räk
Function: noun
1 : a small crystallized mass of crack cocaine
2 : CRACK called also rock cocaine
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Rock (rŏk), John. 1890-1984.

American gynecologist and obstetrician who helped develop (1954) the first effective oral contraceptive.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
rock   (rŏk)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A relatively hard, naturally occurring mineral material. Rock can consist of a single mineral or of several minerals that are either tightly compacted or held together by a cementlike mineral matrix. The three main types of rock are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.

  2. A piece of such material; a stone.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

between a rock and a hard place

Also, between the devil and the deep blue sea or Scylla and Charybdis. Between two equally difficult or unacceptable choices. For example, Trying to please both my boss and his supervisor puts me between a rock and a hard place. The rock and hard place version is the newest of these synonymous phrases, dating from the early 1900s, and alludes to being caught or crushed between two rocks. The oldest is Scylla and Charybdis, which in Homer's Odyssey signified a monster on a rock (Scylla) and a fatal whirlpool (Charybdis), between which Odysseus had to sail through a narrow passage. It was used figuratively by the Roman writer Virgil and many writers since. The devil in devil and deep blue sea, according to lexicographer Charles Earle Funk, referred to a seam around a ship's hull near the waterline, which, if a sailor was trying to caulk it in heavy seas, would cause him to fall overboard. Others disagree, however, and believe the phrase simply alludes to a choice between hellfire with the devil and drowning in deep waters.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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