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
If you work in tech support, you might use snarky slang for problems caused by computer users themselves. There’s the acronym PEBCAK, for example, which stands for Problem Exists Between Chair and Keyboard. And: a lush poem about the sea inspired by...
The expression to run the traps means “to perform due diligence” or “solicit a wide variety of opinions” or “investigate every angle thoroughly.” This metaphor derives from the literal sense of running the traps, which refers to hunting and fishing...