situation (redirected from situations)

catch 22

a situation where one thing must happen in order to cause another thing to happen, but because the first thing does not happen the second thing cannot happen. If you don't have a place to stay, you can't get a job and with no job, you can't get an apartment. It's a catch 22 situation.

See also: catch

a chicken and egg situation

a situation in which it is impossible to say which of two things existed first and which caused the other. It's a chicken and egg situation - I don't know whether I was bad at the sciences because I wasn't interested in them or not interested in them and therefore not good at them.

See also: chicken, egg

a no-lose situation (American, American)

a situation in which whatever happens the result will be good. He's in a no-lose situation. If he wins the tournament he gets a big bonus, and if he doesn't he's had valuable experience.

a no-win situation

a difficult situation in which whatever happens the result will be bad for the people involved. I'm in a no-win situation here. Whatever I do, I'm going to annoy someone.

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make the best of a bad situation

to do as well as possible under conditions that are not satisfactory. The only way to survive being jailed is to make the best of a bad situation.

See also: bad, best

a no-win situation

a condition in which all possible results are bad for the people involved. If she doesn't do anything, the North Side will be unhappy, and if she does do something, the South Side will be unhappy. Either way she's in a no-win situation.