have the wolf by the ear

verb

To be in a dangerous situation from which one cannot disengage, but in which one cannot safely remain.

Similar
on the horns of a dilemmahave a tiger by the tail
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Meanings

verbhave the wolf by the ear (third-person singular simple present has the wolf by the ear, present participle having the wolf by the ear, simple past and past participle had the wolf by the ear)

present singular third person has the wolf by the ear · participle present having the wolf by the ear · participle past had the wolf by the ear · past had the wolf by the ear

  1. idiomaticTo be in a dangerous situation from which one cannot disengage, but in which one cannot safely remain.

    Synonyms: on the horns of a dilemma, have a tiger by the tail

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo be in a dangerous situation from which one cannot disengage, but in which one cannot safely remain.

Similar
on the horns of a dilemmahave a tiger by the tail
Also see
have a tiger by the tailhave the tiger by the tail

Origin

Initially attributed to Roman Emperor Tiberius circa year 1 AD by biographer C. Suetonius Tranquillus. United States, 1820, Thomas Jefferson, writing about the institution of slavery and the Missouri Compromise: : "But, as it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other." :: — Thomas Jefferson to John Holmes (discussing slavery and the Missouri question), Monticello, 22 April 1820

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish olla kahden tulen välissä
  • olla kahden tulen välissäto be in a difficult situation
French tenir le loup par les oreilles
  • tenir le loup par les oreillesto be in a difficult situation
Latin auribus teneo lupum
  • auribus teneo lupumto be in a difficult situation
Malay ditelan mati emak, diluah mati bapak
  • ditelan mati emak, diluah mati bapakto be in a difficult situation
Polish znajdować się w trudnej sytuacji, znaleźć się w trudnej sytuacji
  • znajdować się w trudnej sytuacjito be in a difficult situation
  • znaleźć się w trudnej sytuacjito be in a difficult situation
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“have the wolf by the ear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20wolf%20by%20the%20ear. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have the wolf by the ear,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20wolf%20by%20the%20ear.

Source: have the wolf by the ear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.