# lady or tiger

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/lady-or-tiger
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A pure gamble with highly divergent outcomes.

## Examples

- Choosing that job is a lady or tiger situation.
- Investing all your savings in a new startup is a real lady or tiger gamble.
- 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.

## 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.