have a tiger by the tail

have a ti·ger by the tail

H h

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [hav ey tahy-ger bahy stressed th ee teyl]
- /hæv eɪ ˈtaɪ gər baɪ stressed ði teɪl/
- /həv ə ˈtaɪ.ɡər baɪ ðə teɪl/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [hav ey tahy-ger bahy stressed th ee teyl]
- /hæv eɪ ˈtaɪ gər baɪ stressed ði teɪl/

Definitions of have a tiger by the tail words

noun have a tiger by the tail to find oneself in a situation that has turned out to be much more difficult to control than one had expected 0
noun have a tiger by the tail to find oneself in a situation from which it may be more dangerous or difficult to escape than to stay 0
verb have a tiger by the tail (Idiomatic) To be in a difficult or dangerous situation in which one ideally should not remain, but from which one cannot withdraw. 0

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 96% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

Was this page helpful?

Yes No

Thank you for your feedback! Tell your friends about this page

Tell us why?