have a tiger by the tail

English

Alternative forms

have the tiger by the tail

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Verb

have a tiger by the tail (third-person singular simple present has a tiger by the tail, present participle having a tiger by the tail, simple past and past participle had 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.
- 2009, Jack Dalton, A Country Lawyer, Strategic Book Publishing (2009), →ISBN, page 75:
  "Sounds like you have a tiger by the tail. Hawthorne won't go down without a battle and will probably sue you if he wins," Clair admonished.

Synonyms

have the wolf by the ear