have the wolf by the ear

Etymology
Initially attributed to Roman Emperor circa year 1 AD by biographer C. Suetonius Tranquillus.

United States, 1820,, writing about the institution of slavery and the :
 * "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



Verb

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

Usage notes
Original form is “have the wolf by the ear”; common variants are “hold” rather than “have”, “a wolf” rather than “the wolf”, and plural “ears” rather than singular “ear”.

Translations

 * Finnish: olla kahden tulen välissä
 * French:
 * Malay: ditelan mati emak, diluah mati bapak
 * Polish: znajdować się w trudnej sytuacji, znaleźć się w trudnej sytuacji