خياران أحلاهما مر

Arabic

Etymology

Literally, “two options the sweeter of which is bitter”.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /xi.jaː.raː.ni ʔaħ.laː.hu.maː mur.run/

Noun

خِيَارَانِ أَحْلَاهُمَا مُرٌّ • (ḵiyārāni ʔaḥlāhumā murrun) m du

  1. (idiomatic) a choice between two unpleasant alternatives; expresses between a rock and a hard place, between the hammer and the anvil, between the devil and the deep blue sea
    نَحْنُ أَمَامَ خِيَارَيْنِ أَحْلَاهُمَا مُرٌّ.
    naḥnu ʔamāma ḵiyārayni ʔaḥlāhumā murrun.
    We are caught between a rock and a hard place.
    (literally, “We are faced with two options the sweeter of which is bitter.”)
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.