Quandary ***

quandary







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框dary



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–noun

a state of perplexity or uncertainty, esp. as to what to do; dilemma.  



—Synonyms 

See predicament.



Predicament, dilemma, plight, quandary refer to unpleasant or puzzling situations. 



Predicament and plight stress more the unpleasant nature, quandary and dilemma the puzzling nature of the situation. 





Predicament and plight are sometimes interchangeable; 



plight, however, though originally meaning peril or danger, is seldom used today except laughingly: When his suit wasn't ready at the cleaners, he was in a terrible plight. 



Predicament, though likewise capable of being used lightly, may also refer to a really crucial situation: Stranded in a strange city without money, he was in a predicament. 





Dilemma, in popular use, means a position of doubt or perplexity in which one is faced by two equally undesirable alternatives: the dilemma of a hostess who must choose between offending her anti-drinking guests or disappointing those who expected cocktails. 



Quandary is the state of mental perplexity of one faced with a difficult situation: There seemed to be [no way out] of the quandary.





　

This isn't a quandary for those already familiar with the fine, 



tight 1998 novel by John Burnham Schwartz, with its bitter epigraph from the Book of Job and its shuffling narrators. But what about for those who have never read it? What if I say that there's a hit-and-run car accident, a dead son, and a grieving father, plus a driver who's a father with a son of his own? What if I add that there's a remarkable climax — is that enough?





　

1. The Movie is "decidedly non-commercial, it’s really fuckin bleak and dark, so bleak that it makes The Dark Knight look like Strawberry Shortcake."



2. "There’s no character to root for." … "It’s a series of insane, bad choices based on moral or immoral quandaries."





quandary quagmire

slough stalemate



stagnation

My [mind] is stagnating from too much TV.  

When the [leading lady] left, the show started to stagnate.  

throttle

His message was throttled by [censorship].  

the Weinstein Co. has decided to [go full throttle] on securing a release date and mobilizing the marketing materials.



cumbersome

encumber

He was hailed as a visionary, fetishized by his fans, encumbered by [expectations]. 



cusp 

foil

Loyal troops foiled his [attempt] to overthrow the government.  

Stagnation