Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

between a rock and a hard place

 - 6 dictionary results
Save on Books at Amazon
Low Prices on Millions of Books Free 2-Day Shipping w/ Amazon Prime
www.Amazon.com/Books
We Have The Book You Need
By Judith Adler Hellman For Only $6.53 + Free Shipping!
www.DiscountBookSale.com
A Rock and a Hard Place
$12.95 Today at Borders.com Free Shipping on Orders $25+.
www.Borders.com

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.
Cite This Source Link To between a rock and a hard place
Save on Books at Amazon
Low Prices on Millions of Books Free 2-Day Shipping w/ Amazon Prime
www.Amazon.com/Books
We Have The Book You Need
By Judith Adler Hellman For Only $6.53 + Free Shipping!
www.DiscountBookSale.com
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.
Cite This Source
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.
Cite This Source
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
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.
Cite This Source
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.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see between a rock and a hard place on Thesaurus | Reference
A Rock and a Hard Place
$12.95 Today at Borders.com Free Shipping on Orders $25+.
www.Borders.com
Places Hard
Order By 12/21 For XMas Delivery. Free Shipping $50 on 100,000 Items!
www.Target.com
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way