These were refused and subsequently many workers at the Bisbee mines were forcibly deported to New Mexico. The workers, some of whom had organized in labour unions, approached the company management with a list of demands for better pay and conditions. In 1917 the lack of funding precipitated by the earlier banking crisis led to a dispute between copper mining companies and mineworkers in Bisbee, Arizona. This financial crisis was especially damaging to the mining and railroad industries of the western states. The 'recent panics' referred to in that citation are undoubtedly the events surrounding the so-called US Bankers' Panic of 1907. Common in Arizona in recent panics sporadic in California." The earliest known printed citation of 'between a rock and a hard place' is in the American Dialect Society's publication Dialect Notes V, 1921: Other phrases that compare two less than desirable alternatives are 'the lesser of two evils', ' between the devil and the deep blue sea', 'between Scylla and Charybdis', ' an offer you can't refuse' and ' Hobson's choice'. The first of these quite literally conveys the uncomfortable nature of the choice between two lemmas (propositions), that is, 'on the horns of a dilemma'. Language always reflects people's preoccupations and there are several phrases that express this predicament. The dilemma of being in a position where one is faced with two equally unwelcome options appears to lie deep in the human psyche. It is the American manifestation of a phrase that exists in several forms in other cultures. This phrase originated in the USA in the early part of the 20th century. What's the origin of the phrase 'Between a rock and a hard place'? In difficulty, faced with a choice between two unsatisfactory options. American origin What's the meaning of the phrase 'Between a rock and a hard place'?.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |