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on the horns of a dilemma

horn
O o

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [hawrn]
    • /ɒn, ɔn stressed ði hɔːrn ʌv, ɒv eɪ dɪˈlɛm ə/
    • /ɒn ðə hɔːn əv ə daɪˈlem.ə/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [hawrn]
    • /ɒn, ɔn stressed ði hɔːrn ʌv, ɒv eɪ dɪˈlɛm ə/

Definitions of on the horns of a dilemma words

  • noun on the horns of a dilemma one of the bony, permanent, hollow paired growths, often curved and pointed, that project from the upper part of the head of certain ungulate mammals, as cattle, sheep, goats, or antelopes. 1
  • noun on the horns of a dilemma a similar growth, sometimes of hair, as the median horn or horns on the snout of the rhinoceros, or the tusk of the narwhal. 1
  • noun on the horns of a dilemma antler. 1
  • noun on the horns of a dilemma a process projecting from the head of an animal and suggestive of such a growth, as a feeler, tentacle, or crest. 1
  • noun on the horns of a dilemma the bony substance of which such animal growths are composed. 1
  • noun on the horns of a dilemma any similar substance, as that forming tortoise shell, hoofs, nails, or corns. 1
See all 43 definitions of on the horns of a dilemma

Information block about the term

Origin of on the horns of a dilemma

First appearance:

before 900
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English horn(e) (noun), Old English horn; cognate with Dutch horen, Old Norse, Danish, Swedish horn, German Horn, Gothic haurn, Latin cornu cornu, Irish, Welsh corn; akin to Greek kéras horn (see cerat-)

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for On the horns of a dilemma

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of On the horns of a dilemma

on the horns of a dilemma popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% 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".

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