dilemma
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dilemma
A difficult situation or dilemma in which you have to choose between two unpleasant or disadvantageous options.
Ich stecke in einer Zwickmühle: Sage ich die Wahrheit und verletze ihn, oder lüge ich und habe ein schlechtes Gewissen?
I'm in a dilemma: Do I tell the truth and hurt him, or do I lie and have a guilty conscience?
mill-game trap
A specific, advantageous position in the game Nine Men's Morris that allows a player to close a new mill on every move.
Durch einen klugen Zug brachte er seinen Gegner in eine Zwickmühle und gewann das Spiel souverän.
With a clever move, he put his opponent into a mill-game trap and won the game confidently.
The word is made up of 'zwicken' (to pinch) and 'Mühle' (mill, or the board game 'Mühle' / Nine Men's Morris). The image of a mill that 'pinches' or traps you from two sides perfectly describes the feeling of being caught in a dilemma.
Egal, wie ich mich entscheide, ich sitze in der Zwickmühle.
No matter how I decide, I'm stuck in a dilemma.
When describing a dilemma, the most common phrases are 'in einer Zwickmühle stecken' (to be stuck in a dilemma) or 'in einer Zwickmühle sein/sitzen' (to be in a dilemma).
Er steckt in einer Zwickmühle: Entweder er verliert seinen Job oder seine Freunde.
He is stuck in a dilemma: either he loses his job or his friends.
The meaning 'Dilemma' (dilemma) is by far the most common in everyday language. The original meaning from the game Nine Men's Morris is only understood if people are actually talking about the board game.
Wenn ein Politiker von einer Zwickmühle spricht, meint er ein politisches Dilemma.
When a politician speaks of a 'Zwickmühle' (dilemma), he means a political dilemma.
dilemma
Dilemma and Zwickmühle both refer to a difficult choice between unpleasant options. Zwickmühle usually highlights the two possible ways out in a vivid, figurative way and sounds more colloquial, while Dilemma is more neutral and is also common in formal texts. Choose Zwickmühle for vivid everyday language, and Dilemma for a neutral expression.
Die Stadt steckt in der Zwickmühle, entweder zu sparen oder wichtige Angebote zu kürzen.
The city is caught in a dilemma: it has to choose between making cuts and reducing important services.
Die Stadt steckt in dem Dilemma, entweder zu sparen oder wichtige Angebote zu kürzen.
The city is caught in the dilemma of either making cuts or reducing important services.
