Question

On the Horns of a Dilemma having to choose between two undesirable courses of action or unpleasant things.

Accepted Answer

Jose liked both girls who asked him to the dance, and he didn't want to hurt either. He was on the horns of a dilemma. A bull can be a fierce animal, and nobody wants to be stuck on the sharp points of a bull's horns. But you feel that you're in that position if you are forced to decide between two possibly dangerous choices. A similar saying was used by people in the Middle Ages and by the Dutch scholar Erasmus around the year 1500. In medieval times a "dilemma" was a way of arguing in which one of two statements must be proved to be true.

Idiom	On the Horns of a Dilemma
Example	Jose liked both girls who asked him to the dance, and he didn't want to hurt either. He was on the horns of a dilemma.
Meaning	having to choose between two undesirable courses of action or unpleasant things.
Origin	A bull can be a fierce animal, and nobody wants to be stuck on the sharp points of a bull's horns. But you feel that you're in that position if you are forced to decide between two possibly dangerous choices. A similar saying was used by people in the Middle Ages and by the Dutch scholar Erasmus around the year 1500. In medieval times a "dilemma" was a way of arguing in which one of two statements must be proved to be true.

Horns Dilemma Jose Girls Asked Dance Hurt Choose