To be “between the Devil and the deep blue sea” has largely been replaced by being “between a rock and a hard place,” which came out of Arizona and originally meant to be bankrupt.
The Devil is the seam of a sailing ship’s hull, which was reinforced to support cannons and was where a board was fastened for those forced to walk the plank.
The condemned sailor couldn’t turn back, so his only option was the deep blue sea.
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