Between a stone and a hard rock

Question

What does this phrase mean and how does it translate into Spanish?

Between a stone and a hard rock

The English saying is "Between a stone (or rock) and a hard place." - --Mariana--, Jun 27, 2010

I've heard it from an English native speaker. - Gocika, Jun 27, 2010

Sorry, but the saying in English is like I said. Take a look on the Internet and see the correct saying. - --Mariana--, Jun 27, 2010

Ok, but this is what the man said, so I guess he made a mistake - Gocika, Jun 27, 2010

Yes, pepole often mangle idioms and such. Some native English speakers could do with an English class. :) - MacFadden, Jun 27, 2010

How true, and I'm in agreement with Marianne on that one. Usually "Between a rock and a hard place". - Yeser007, Jun 27, 2010

I have a bilingual coworker who always says "between a hard rock and a stone" and I find it very funny. We get a good laugh about it every day. - kcess, Dec 13, 2013

Answer 1

"Between a rock/stone and a hard place."

This means that you are in a difficult situation without hope of finding a solution.

In Spanish it's "Estar entre la espada y la pared."

¡Eres tan lista! - Goyo, Jun 27, 2010

Gracias, guapo. - --Mariana--, Jun 27, 2010

Answer 2

The way I've heard it is "between a rock and a hard place."

It's an expression that means you are in a very difficult situation, with all available options causing problems of their own.

Answer 3

A very similar expression is "between the devil and the deep blue sea"

Answer 4

The normal phrase is "caught between a rock and a hard place." It doesn't translate literally, but basically it means you have two equally difficult options.

Answer 5

This is a very good question that can be answered by the Phrasebook. Have a look, it is going to be an excellent tool for Spanish students!

Answer 6

You might enjoy looking here for the ancient Greek Mythology story which

gave rise to sayings like "caught between a rock and a hard place", "entre la espada y la pared", and "between the devil and the deep blue see", all of which suggest being in a difficult situation with no apparent way out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scylla_and_Charybdis