IdiomNature
French
FrenchTomber de Charybde en Scylla
Meaning: To escape one danger only to meet a worse one.
Literally: To fall from Charybdis into Scylla
Example: “Il a quitté un chef tyrannique pour un autre encore pire : il est tombé de Charybde en Scylla.” — He left one tyrannical boss for an even worse one: out of the frying pan and into the fire.
English equivalent: Out of the frying pan and into the fire
Origin: From the Odyssey, where the strait of Messina is guarded by a whirlpool on one side and a six-headed monster on the other, so that avoiding either steers you into the other. English says out of the frying pan into the fire.
More French idioms
- Proposer la botte à quelqu'un To proposition someone sexually.
- Pousser le bouchon un peu loin To go too far; to overstep.
- Tirer à boulets rouges To attack someone ferociously and without restraint.
- Sans bourse délier Without spending a penny.
- Un branle-bas de combat Frantic preparation; a general commotion.
- Battre en brèche To attack a position or argument until it collapses.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Bête comme ses pieds Really not very bright.
- Avoir un poil dans la main To be incurably lazy.
- Tête de linotte A scatterbrain who can't hold a thought.
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