Scylla and Charybdis

Cultural  

1. In classical mythology, Scylla was a horrible six-headed monster who lived on a rock on one side of a narrow strait. Charybdis was a whirlpool on the other side. When ships passed close to Scylla's rock in order to avoid Charybdis, she would seize and devour their sailors. Aeneas, Jason, and Odysseus all had to pass between Scylla and Charybdis.

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Example Sentences

For many long minutes, those covering the show in real time were trapped between the Scylla and Charybdis of congratulatory awe and potentially backlash-provoking faux pas.

From Los Angeles Times

Mandatory infringement works to place competitors between Scylla and Charybdis, forcing them out of the market and thereby harming consumers.

From Los Angeles Times

I don’t expect you to say “between Scylla and Charybdis” but could you please say “between a rock and a whirlpool” instead?

From Seattle Times

In other words, the middle path, the tightrope walk, the threading of Scylla and Charybdis.

From Salon

It’s a promising twist, and it builds on an established idea that “The Odyssey,” a work abundant with substantial female characters — Penelope, Athena, Calypso, Circe, even the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis — is not a male creation.

From New York Times