• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / What does the expression “on the horns of a dilemma” mean and Where does it come from?

What does the expression “on the horns of a dilemma” mean and Where does it come from?

May 15, 2020 by Karen Hill

A dilemma, in logic, is a form of argument in which a participant finds himself in the embarrassing predicament of having to make a choice of either of two premises, both of which are obnoxious.

It is a trap set by an astute person to catch an unwary one, like answering yes or no to the question, “Have you stopped beating yourself up?” Because one may be caught and impaled upon either of the alternatives, each of them has been called a “horn.”

Medieval scholars, writing in Latin, used the expression, argumentum cornutum, horned argument. Nicolas Udall, in his translations of the adages collected (in Latin) by Erasmus explains the saying in the language of 1548:

“Thys forked questyon; which the sophisters call an horned question, because that to whether of both partyes a bodye shall make a direct aunswcre, he shall renne on the sharpe poyncte of the borne.”

Related Facts

  • Where does the expression "till the cows come home" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the expression "to come out flat footed" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the expression "to come out at the little end of the horn" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the expression "come off your perch" come from and What does it mean?
  • What does the expression "to get one's come uppance" mean and Where does it come from?
  • Where does the expression "to be ahead of the game" come from and What does to come out ahead mean?
  • What Does the Expression "Until the Cows Come Home" Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?
  • Where does the expression "Darby and Joan" come from and What does Darby and Joan mean?
  • Where does the phrase "to rain cats and dogs" come from and What does the expression mean?
  • Where does the expression "to blow hot and cold" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the expression "to steer between Scylla and Charybdis" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the expression "through thick and thin" come from and What does it mean?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How did the phrase “to draw the longbow” originate and What does it mean?
Next Post: Where does the expression “to get the bird” come from and What does it mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy