had a tiger by the tail

A form of have a tiger by the tail — To be in a difficult or dangerous situation in which one ideally should not remain, but from which one cannot withdraw.

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Meanings

verb
  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of have a tiger by the tail
Cite this entry
APA

had a tiger by the tail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/had%20a%20tiger%20by%20the%20tail

MLA

“had a tiger by the tail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/had%20a%20tiger%20by%20the%20tail. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “had a tiger by the tail,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/had%20a%20tiger%20by%20the%20tail.

Source: had a tiger by the tail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.