ENGLISH
REFERENCE

lady or tiger

idiom
Meaning

A pure gamble with highly divergent outcomes.


Origin

disputed origin

From the short story The Lady, or the Tiger by Frank R. Stockton, in which a condemned man is offered two doors, one of which leads to a beautiful woman and the other to a ferocious tiger.

Examples
SIMPLE

Choosing that job is a lady or tiger situation.

CONTEXTUAL

Investing all your savings in a new startup is a real lady or tiger gamble.

COMPLEX

The politician faced a lady or tiger dilemma, knowing that his final decision would lead either to a triumphant victory or a total career collapse.

Anchors to
Related idioms6entries
  1. 01

    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.

  2. 02

    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.

  3. 03

    lady garden

    A woman's pubic hair, and the area around it.

  4. 04

    paper tiger

    Something or someone that appears powerful, strong or threatening but is in reality weak, ineffective, or unable to withstand challenge.

  5. 05

    ride the tiger

    To maintain control over something aggressive and dangerous.

  6. 06

    tiger of a different stripe

    Something entirely different; a whole other thing or matter.

© 2026 English Reference