between

be few and far between

to be very few. There are plenty of houses for sale, but buyers are few and far between.

See also: far, few

between a rock and a hard place

if you are between a rock and a hard place, you have to make a difficult decision between two things that are equally unpleasant. I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. If I go with Isobel, it'll be much more expensive and if I go with Julie, Isobel probably won't speak to me again.

See also: hard, place, rock

between the devil and the deep blue sea

if you are between the devil and the deep blue sea, you must choose between two equally unpleasant situations. For most people a visit to the dentist is the result of a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea - if you go you suffer, and if you don't go you suffer.

See also: blue, deep, devil, sea

between you and me (British, American & Australian, British & Australian, humorous)

something that you say when you are going to tell someone something you do not want them to tell anyone else. Just between you and me, I don't think his work is quite up to standard. Between you, me and the gatepost, I'm thinking of leaving.

drive a wedge between someone

if you drive a wedge between two people or two groups of people, you do something which spoils their relationship. She thinks Samantha's jealous and is trying to drive a wedge between her and her boyfriend. This is a clear attempt to drive a wedge between the USA and its western allies.

See also: drive, wedge

fall between two stools (mainly British, mainly British)

if something falls between two stools, it fails because it is neither one type of thing nor another and if someone falls between two stools, they fail because they try to combine two different types of thing that cannot be combined. For me, it fell between two stools, being neither romantic fiction nor serious literature. If you try to organize an event that will appeal to both young and old, you can end up caught between two stools.

See also: fall, stool, two

get/take the bit between your teeth (British, American & Australian, American)

to start doing something in a very keen way. When the team really gets the bit between their teeth, they are almost impossible to beat.

See also: bit, take, teeth

have nothing between the/your ears (informal)

to be stupid. He's very good-looking but has absolutely nothing between the ears, I'm afraid.

See also: ear, nothing

have the bit between your teeth (British, American & Australian)

get/take the bit between your teeth - to start doing something in a very keen way. Caroline had the bit between her teeth and nothing would stop her from finding out the truth.

See also: bit, teeth

hit someone (right) between the eyes (informal)

if something hits someone between the eyes, it shocks them. I remember when I read that article. It hit me right between the eyes.

See also: eye, hit

no/little love lost between someone

if there is no love lost between two people, they do not like each other. There's no love lost between those two. They could never work together.

See also: little, lost, love

read between the lines

to try to understand someone's real feelings or intentions from what they say or write. Reading between the lines, I'd say that Martin isn't very happy with the situation.

See also: line, read

tread a fine/thin line between something

if someone treads a fine line between a good quality and a bad quality, they succeed in having only the good quality. Somehow he manages to tread that fine line between honesty and tactlessness.

See also: fine, line, thin, tread

with your tail between your legs

if you leave somewhere with your tail between your legs, you leave feeling ashamed and embarrassed because you have failed or made a mistake. The losing team walked off with their tails between their legs.

See also: leg, tail

---

between a rock and a hard place

having only two very unpleasant choices. Schools for problem kids are between a rock and a hard place — they can be sued if children run away and get hurt, but have no power to keep the door locked.

See also: hard, place, rock

between the devil and the deep blue sea

having only two very unpleasant choices. Our country is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea — our leaders cause great suffering, but an invasion aimed at overthrowing them would bring many other problems.

Etymology: based on the idea of being trapped between a ship's devil (= a piece of wood or a joint on a wooden ship that is difficult to reach) and the water

See also: blue, deep, devil, sea

(just) between you and me

without telling anyone else. Between you and me, I think she made up the whole story about being robbed.

come between

to cause a relationship to become less close. It wasn't religion that came between them but their very different personalities.

See also: come

drive a wedge between someone/something

to cause a division between people or groups. Frank had to travel a lot and this finally drove a wedge between him and his wife. The issue of global warming has driven a wedge between our government and the rest of the world.

See also: drive, wedge

few and far between

not very many or not appearing very frequently. He grew up at a time when jobs were few and far between.

See also: far, few

hit you (right) between the eyes

to be very easy to notice. The song's catchy lyrics and bright melody hit him right between the eyes. I think the quality of our product is going to hit people right between the eyes.

See also: eye, hit

read between the lines

to find a hidden meaning in something said or written. The report doesn't criticize the research directly, but you can read between the lines that the review committee wasn't impressed.

Usage notes: sometimes used without the verb: Leo read Melodie's letter again, hoping for some hidden message between the lines.

See also: line, read

somewhere between

1. within the range of. They're priced somewhere between ten and fifteen dollars each.

2. approximately like two different things. He made a sound somewhere between a gurgle and a cough.

See also: somewhere

your tail between your legs

feeling ashamed and embarrassed. After playing so badly for the entire game, the team walked off with their tails between their legs.

Etymology: based on the behavior of dogs, who will put their tails between their legs when someone speaks angrily to them

See also: leg, tail