Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

between the hammer and the anvil

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.01 in modern English

Syllables
be-tween the ham-mer and the anvil
IPA
49
Scrabble Score
27
Letters
3
Syllables
13
Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

With the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary.

British usage

Example Sentences

Etymology

Referring to the metal on a blacksmith's anvil, which is beaten with a hammer.

Usage

Synonyms

between a rock and a hard place between Scylla and Charybdis between the devil and the deep blue sea between the hammer and the anvil between two fires damned if one does and damned if one doesn't doomed if you do doomed if you don't in a cleft stick in bad bread on the horns of a dilemma

Questions

What does between the hammer and the anvil mean?
With the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary.
Where does between the hammer and the anvil come from?
Referring to the metal on a blacksmith's anvil, which is beaten with a hammer.

How to pronounce between the hammer and the anvil

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “between the hammer and the anvil”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “between the hammer and the anvil”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “between the hammer and the anvil” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.