rock

1
[ rok ]
/ rɒk /

noun

Idioms for rock

Origin of rock

1
1300–50; 1905–10 for def 10; Middle English rokk(e) < Old French ro(c)que, roche (cf. roche alum); compare Spanish, Provençal roca, Italian rocca, Medieval Latin rocha, rocca (> late Old English -rocc in stānrocc “stone-rock”)

OTHER WORDS FROM rock

rock·less, adjective rock·like, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rock

boulder cobblestone granule pebble rock stone

British Dictionary definitions for between a rock and a hard place (1 of 3)

rock 1
/ (rɒk) /

noun

Word Origin for rock

C14: from Old French roche, of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for between a rock and a hard place (2 of 3)

rock 2
/ (rɒk) /

verb

noun

See also rock up

Word Origin for rock

Old English roccian; related to Middle Dutch, Old High German rocken, German rücken

British Dictionary definitions for between a rock and a hard place (3 of 3)

Rock
/ (rɒk) /

noun the Rock

an informal name for Gibraltar
a Canadian informal name for Newfoundland

Medical definitions for between a rock and a hard place

Rock
[ rŏk ]
John 1890-1984

American gynecologist and obstetrician who helped develop the first effective oral contraceptive in 1954.

Scientific definitions for between a rock and a hard place

rock
[ rŏk ]

A relatively hard, naturally occurring mineral material. Rock can consist of a single mineral or of several minerals that are either tightly compacted or held together by a cementlike mineral matrix. The three main types of rock are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.
A piece of such material; a stone.

Cultural definitions for between a rock and a hard place

between a rock and a hard place

Faced with two equally dangerous or difficult choices or circumstances: “Trying to please two supervisors is like being between a rock and a hard place.” This phrase dates from the early twentieth century.

Idioms and Phrases with between a rock and a hard place (1 of 2)

between a rock and a hard place

Also, between the devil and the deep blue sea or Scylla and Charybdis. Between two equally difficult or unacceptable choices. For example, Trying to please both my boss and his supervisor puts me between a rock and a hard place. The rock and hard place version is the newest of these synonymous phrases, dating from the early 1900s, and alludes to being caught or crushed between two rocks. The oldest is Scylla and Charybdis, which in Homer's Odyssey signified a monster on a rock (Scylla) and a fatal whirlpool (Charybdis), between which Odysseus had to sail through a narrow passage. It was used figuratively by the Roman writer Virgil and many writers since. The devil in devil and deep blue sea, according to lexicographer Charles Earle Funk, referred to a seam around a ship's hull near the waterline, which, if a sailor was trying to caulk it in heavy seas, would cause him to fall overboard. Others disagree, however, and believe the phrase simply alludes to a choice between hellfire with the devil and drowning in deep waters.

Idioms and Phrases with between a rock and a hard place (2 of 2)

rock