had the tiger by the tail

A form of have the 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 the tiger by the tail
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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