se correr o bicho pega, se ficar o bicho come

Portuguese

Meaning

damned if you do, damned if you don't, trapped between two bad choices

Example

O acordo me deixa sem saída: se correr o bicho pega, se ficar o bicho come.

The deal leaves me trapped: damned if I do, damned if I don't.

Origin

This anonymous popular saying pictures a trap with no safe direction: run and the beast catches you; stay and it eats you. That image became a compact way to describe two choices that both end badly.

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Source: Temporal Editora — Se correr o bicho pega, se ficar o bicho come.

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