板いた挟ばさみ

い

た

ば

さ

み

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

caught between two opposing sides; in a dilemma; between a rock and a hard place

Describes a situation where one is pressured by two conflicting parties or demands, unable to satisfy both. Often used with 〜になる or 〜に陥る.

上じょう司しと部ぶ下かの板いた挟ばさみになって困こまっている。
I'm stuck between my boss and my subordinates and don't know what to do.

家か族ぞくと仕し事ごとの板いた挟ばさみで悩なやんでいる。

I'm torn between family and work.

Kanji

板plank, board, plate
挟pinch, between
挾put between, insert, jam

Related words

ジレンマ
ジレンマ is the borrowed, more formal term for a difficult choice, while 板挟み is a native idiom picturing being sandwiched between two conflicting demands.

Don't confuse with

挟はさみ撃うち
板挟み means being caught between two conflicting demands or people (a dilemma), whereas 挟み撃ち means being physically or tactically attacked from two sides.

Built from

板いた+挟はさむ

Written forms

板いた挟ばさみUsage36%
Standard kanji spelling.
板いたばさみUsage56%
Common mixed kana-kanji spelling.
板いた挾ばさみUsage7%
search-only kanji form
Search-only variant using the old form of 挟.
イタバサミ

Etymology

Compound of 板 (ita, 'board') and 挟み (hasami, 'pinching'), literally 'board-pinch', evoking the image of being squeezed between two boards. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the metaphor is transparent.

Usage1%