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Nous sommes coincés entre le marteau et l’enclume

English translation: caught between the hammer and the anvil

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:Nous sommes coincés entre le marteau et l’enclume
English translation:caught between the hammer and the anvil
Entered by: lionel123

09:45 Feb 9, 2004
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Other
French term or phrase: Nous sommes coincés entre le marteau et l’enclume
Meaning that we are stuck in a threatening situation with no way out(literally: we are stuck between the hammer and the anvil)
lionel123
Local time: 08:06
caught between the hammer and the anvil
Explanation:
the phrase is actually used as it is

eg:
... in the wake of the Sept. 11 tragedy, travel agencies are "caught between
the hammer and the anvil.". "[T]he travel agency industry ...
www.astanet.com/news/releasearchive01/9_25_01a.asp

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2004-02-09 12:29:55 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

many examples on Google
Selected response from:

yvette1
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:06
Grading comment
I'd never heard this before, but followed your advice and put it through google. Thanks.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +20we are between a rock and a hard place
IanW (X)
3 +10we are between the devil and the deep (blue) sea
GILLES MEUNIER
4 +3With all these answers
Bourth (X)
4 +2We are between Scylla and Charybdis
Adam Thomson
5 +1caught between the hammer and the anvil
yvette1
5Between the frying pan and the fire
sousou
4we are in dire straits
Robert Schlarb
5 -1We are between Scylla and Haribda
Alex Zelkind (X)


  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +10
we are between the devil and the deep (blue) sea


Explanation:
-

GILLES MEUNIER
France
Local time: 08:06
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 21

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Paul Lambert
2 mins
agree  Jean-Luc Dumont: not always easy to place -depending on context
6 mins
agree  Lucie Brione
20 mins
agree  Alex Zelkind (X)
28 mins
agree  Adam Thomson: "Rock/hard place" is too smartass American (but may be good if this is for an American client). Otherwise, Devil/Sea is perfect. Depends on context, as always
1 hr
agree  mportal
1 hr
agree  perke
2 hrs
agree  HRiley: Penguin dictionary of clichés makes the distinction that this is less colloquial than the rock/hard place expression
4 hrs
agree  Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X): I bet 1,000 dollars that without looking it up, no one knows what this refers to! :)
5 hrs
agree  laurawheeler: nice !
6 hrs
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
we are in dire straits


Explanation:
is another way of saying it

Robert Schlarb
Local time: 08:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
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2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +20
Nous sommes coincés entre le marteau et l’enclume
we are between a rock and a hard place


Explanation:
To be between a rock and a hard place

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 mins (2004-02-09 09:51:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Better still: \"To be CAUGHT between a rock and a hard place\"

Many companies find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes towriting their annual reports. They understand the need for writing that is easy to read andunderstand. Yet, in an environment that calls for clarity and more information, the resultingcopy may prove otherwise – long, legal-sounding and hard to follow.

http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:wwuTBUL8IPUJ:www.seeseeey...

IanW (X)
Local time: 08:06
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Josephine Billet: exactly!
1 min
agree  Jean-Luc Dumont
2 mins
agree  Mihaela Sinca
3 mins
agree  Bourth (X): Seems to be the modern/atheistic/agnostic version of "the Devil and ...". Particularly British, maybe?
12 mins
  -> I wouldn't say it's particularly British ... it's also the name of an Aerosmith album, and you don't get more American than that ...
agree  ben baudoin
14 mins
agree  Charlie Bavington: caught or sometimes "stuck", I believe.
15 mins
  -> Yes, "stuck"
agree  Lucie Brione
20 mins
agree  awilliams
41 mins
agree  moya
1 hr
agree  ZIL (X)
1 hr
agree  cheungmo: to be STUCK between a rock...
1 hr
agree  Aisha Maniar
1 hr
agree  NancyLynn: yep
2 hrs
agree  HRiley: Apparently this is more colloquial. Would depend on overall tone of translation
4 hrs
agree  rene_teews: "caught" has my preference, more gripping, poignant than "stuck"
4 hrs
agree  Danny041 (X): yes... "stuck" between a rock and a hard place.
5 hrs
agree  sktrans: "caught"
5 hrs
agree  kdavey
6 hrs
agree  laurawheeler: caught
6 hrs
agree  Jean-Claude Gouin: You're 100% right with "to be caught between a rock and a hard place".
8 hrs
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15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
With all these answers


Explanation:
being thrown at you, I'd say you're in a pickle.

Bourth (X)
Local time: 08:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 328

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Charlie Bavington: or possibly a jam, depending if you prefer sweet or savoury...
2 mins
agree  NancyLynn: both are excellent
2 hrs
agree  Adam Thomson: we are in deep kimchee...
6 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
We are between Scylla and Haribda


Explanation:
One more variant, just in case

Alex Zelkind (X)
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Adam Thomson: Haribdis (not Haribda) I think. Don't use it unless we are sure it's correct.
28 mins
  -> It is a proper name. This name is not English. It can be written many ways. Don't disagree unless you're sure
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
We are between Scylla and Charybdis


Explanation:
This is from Greek mythology, and after seeing the reference in this posting, I did a bit of research to check the exact nomenclature.

However we don't necessarily have to use it here. It depends on the context.

Adam Thomson
Local time: 07:06
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Alex Zelkind (X): www.most-program.org/documents/tt_hummel.pdf There is a big difference between professionalism and pedantry
6 mins
  -> I think your Lithuanian reference is as prone to misspelling and malapropism as the rest of us are...
agree  HRiley: This is the more common spelling, and is quoted in my Penguin dictionary of clichés as a more literary alternative to the rock/hard place or devil/sea
2 hrs
  -> Thank you for your reference and comment
agree  lien: bon aussi, comme alternative pour the british speakers
4 hrs
  -> let's hear for British speakers...!
agree  sarahl (X): probably the most elegant rendition, and more perfide Albionish as Lien pointed out.
9 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
caught between the hammer and the anvil


Explanation:
the phrase is actually used as it is

eg:
... in the wake of the Sept. 11 tragedy, travel agencies are "caught between
the hammer and the anvil.". "[T]he travel agency industry ...
www.astanet.com/news/releasearchive01/9_25_01a.asp

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2004-02-09 12:29:55 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

many examples on Google

yvette1
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:06
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
Grading comment
I'd never heard this before, but followed your advice and put it through google. Thanks.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X): yes because it exists in English and is the idiom itself...what is the matter with everybody? In any case, any of these idioms properly said will work..but this one is definitely IT.
2 hrs
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Nous sommes coincés entre le marteau et l’enclume
Between the frying pan and the fire


Explanation:
We are between the frying pan and the fire

sousou
Algeria
Local time: 07:06
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  sarahl (X): I think the proper phrase would be "from the frying pan into the fire", different meaning.
6 hrs
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