Siberian dilemma
n.— «One of the things that has happened is similar to what the military calls the Siberian dilemma. If you break through the ice, you have four minutes to live. If you pull out of the ice, in the frozen air you have two minutes—no good choice. Why you could say that the cuts were proportional, the impacts have been asymmetrical—rural sites have suffered disproportionally. The choice becomes core accreditation over community mission.» —in University of Alaska Retreat Notes, President’s Retreat For Staff Alliance Leaders (Anchorage, Alaska) Nov. 5, 1998. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
When there’s no evening meal planned at home, what do you call that scramble to cobble together your own dinner? Some people apply acronyms like YOYO — “you’re on your own” — or CORN, for “Clean Out your Refrigerator...
A librarian opens a book and finds a mysterious invitation scribbled on the back of a business card. Another discovers a child’s letter to the Tooth Fairy, tucked into a book decades ago. What stories are left untold by these forgotten...