Fig.: to be forced to choose between two unpleasant and dangerous alternatives

The pirates had to fight their battle and be killed or give up and be hanged: they really were between the devil and the deep blue sea

I pirati erano veramente tra Scilla e Cariddi: combattere la loro battaglia e morire o arrendersi e venire impiccati?

The new governor is challenged by a very difficult choice: raise taxes and face the people's discontent or cut school expenses and lower the education level. Between this Scylla and Charybdis, the administrative staff are charting a variety of bold, new courses

Il nuovo governatore è alle prese con una scelta molto difficile: aumentare le tasse e creare malcontento tra la gente o tagliare le spese per l'educazione abbassandone così il livello. Presi tra Scilla e Cariddi, gli amministratori stanno esaminando nuove e audaci soluzioni

In classical mythology, Scylla was a horrible six-headed sea monster who lived on a rock on the Italian side of the Straits of Messina (between continental Italy and Sicily); Charybdis was a raging whirlpool on the Sicilian coast. When ships passed close to her rock in order to avoid Charybdis, Scylla would seize and devour sailors from their decks. Aeneas, Jason and Odysseus all had to pass between Scylla and Charybdis