between a rock and a hard place

noun

a large mass of stone forming a hill, cliff, promontory, or the like.

Geology.

mineral matter of variable composition, consolidated or unconsolidated, assembled in masses or considerable quantities in nature, as by the action of heat or water.

a particular kind of such matter: igneous rock.

stone in the mass: buildings that stand upon rock.

a stone of any size.

something resembling or suggesting a rock.

a firm foundation or support: The Lord is my rock.

Chiefly British. a kind of hard candy, variously flavored.

rock candy.

Often, rocks. Slang.

a piece of money.

a dollar bill.

10.

Slang.

a diamond.

any gem.

11.

Slang.

crack ( def 41 ).

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,

Informal. in or into a state of disaster or ruin: Their marriage is on the rocks.

Informal. without funds; destitute; bankrupt.

(of a beverage, especially liquor or a cocktail) with, or containing, ice cubes: Scotch on the rocks; a vodka martini on the rocks.

00:10

Between a rock and a hard place is always a great word to know.

So is interrobang. Does it mean:

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Origin:
1300–50; 1905–10 for def 10; Middle English rokk(e) < Old French ro(c)que, roche (cf. roche alum); compare Spanish, Provençal roca, Italian rocca, Medieval Latin rocha, rocca (> late Old English -rocc in stānrocc “stone-rock”)

Related forms

rock·less, adjective

rock·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To between a rock and a hard place

Collins

World English Dictionary

rock¹ (rɒk)

—n
1.	geology igneous sedimentary See also metamorphic any aggregate of minerals that makes up part of the earth's crust. It may be unconsolidated, such as a sand, clay, or mud, or consolidated, such as granite, limestone, or coal
2.	any hard mass of consolidated mineral matter, such as a boulder
3.	chiefly (US), (Canadian), (Austral) a stone
4.	a person or thing suggesting a rock, esp in being dependable, unchanging, or providing firm foundation
5.	(Brit) a hard sweet, typically a long brightly-coloured peppermint-flavoured stick, sold esp in holiday resorts
6.	slang a jewel, esp a diamond
7.	short for rock salmon
8.	slang (plural) the testicles
9.	slang another name for crack
10.	between a rock and a hard place having to choose between two equally unpleasant alternatives
11.	on the rocks
	a. in a state of ruin or destitution
	b. (of drinks, esp whisky) served with ice

[C14: from Old French roche, of unknown origin]

rock² (rɒk)

—vb
1.	to move or cause to move from side to side or backwards and forwards
2.	to reel or sway or cause (someone) to reel or sway, as with a violent shock or emotion
3.	(tr) to shake or move (something) violently
4.	(intr) to dance in the rock-and-roll style
5.	mining to wash (ore) or (of ore) to be washed in a cradle
6.	(tr) to roughen (a copper plate) with a rocker before engraving a mezzotint
7.	slang chiefly (US) (tr) to impress by wearing (an item of clothing) or playing (a musical instrument): She can still rock a miniskirt; He rocks a guitar like nobody’s business
8.	informal rock the boat to create a disturbance in the existing situation

—n
9.	a rocking motion
10.	short for rock and roll
11.	Also called: rock music any of various styles of pop music having a heavy beat, derived from rock and roll

[Old English roccian; related to Middle Dutch, Old High German rocken, German rücken]

Rock (rɒk)

—n
1.	an informal name for Gibraltar
2.	a Canadian informal name for Newfoundland

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

rock

"stone," O.E. rocc (in stanrocc "stone rock or obelisk"), also from O.N.Fr. roque, from M.L. rocca (767), from V.L. *rocca, of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be from Celtic (cf. Bret. roch). Seems to have been used in M.E. principally for rock formations as opposed to individual stones. Meaning

"precious stone, especially a diamond," is 1908, U.S. slang. Fig. use for "sure foundation" (especially with ref. to Christ) is from 1526. Meaning "crystalized cocaine" is attested from 1973, in West Coast U.S. slang. Rocks "ice cubes" is from 1946; slang meaning "testicles" is first recorded in phrase get (one's) rocks off "achieve intense satisfaction." On the rocks "ruined" is from 1889. Rock-bottom "lowest possible" is from 1856. Rock-salt is from 1707. Between a rock and a hard place first attested 1921, originally in Arizona. Rock-ribbed is from 1776, originally of land; fig. sense of "resolute" first recorded 1887.

rock

"to sway," late O.E. roccian, related to O.N. rykkja "to pull, tear, move," Swed. rycka "to pull, pluck," M.Du. rucken, O.H.G. rucchan, Ger. rücken "to move jerkily." For musical senses, see rock (v.2). Rocking horse is first recorded 1724; rocking chair is from 1766.

To rock the boat is attested from 1931. Rock-a-bye first recorded 1805 in nursery rhyme.

rock

"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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

American Heritage

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.
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

rock

(rŏk) Pronunciation Key

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.
A piece of such material; a stone.

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

between a rock and a hard place definition

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.

Slang Dictionary

between a rock and a hard place definition

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.
Cite This Source

rock definition

n.
and rock candy. crack, a crystallized form of cocaine. (Drugs. See also rocks.) : Some call it rock candy, and some call it crack.
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.
n.
a diamond or other gemstone. : Look at the size of that rock in her ring.
Go to rocks. :
n.
a baseball; a basketball. : Michael passed the rock to Scottie, who turned and dropped it in the basket.
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.
Cite This Source

Easton

Bible Dictionary

Rock definition

(Heb. tsur), employed as a symbol of God in the Old Testament (1 Sam. 2:2; 2 Sam. 22:3; Isa. 17:10; Ps. 28:1; 31:2,3; 89:26; 95:1); also in the New Testament (Matt. 16:18; Rom. 9:33; 1 Cor. 10:4). In Dan. 2:45 the Chaldaic form of the Hebrew word is translated "mountain." It ought to be translated "rock," as in Hab. 1:12 in the Revised Version. The "rock" from which the stone is cut there signifies the divine origin of Christ. (See STONE.)

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source

American Heritage

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.

Matching Quote

"Paris is a hard place to leave, even when it rains incessantly and one coughs continually from the dampness."

-Willa Cather

Enjoy Dictionary.com ad-free! Learn more