English Explanatory Dictionary

have the wolf by the ear

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To be in a dangerous situation from which one cannot disengage, but in which one cannot safely remain.

Pronunciation

en-au-have the wolf by the ear.ogg

Word forms

have the wolf by the ear has the wolf by the ear having the wolf by the ear had the wolf by the ear

Etymology

Initially attributed to Roman Emperor Tiberius circa year 1 AD by biographer C. Suetonius Tranquillus. United States, 1820, Thomas Jefferson, writing about the institution of slavery and the Missouri Compromise: : "But, as it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other." :: — Thomas Jefferson to John Holmes (discussing slavery and the Missouri question), Monticello, 22 April 1820

Synonyms

on the horns of a dilemma have a tiger by the tail
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