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Catch-22

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.04 sec.
Catch-22 also catch-22 (kchtwn-t-t, kch-)
n.
1.
a. A situation in which a desired outcome or solution is impossible to attain because of a set of inherently illogical rules or conditions: "In the Catch-22 of a closed repertoire, only music that is already familiar is thought to deserve familiarity" Joseph McLennan.
b. The rules or conditions that create such a situation.
2. A situation or predicament characterized by absurdity or senselessness.
3. A contradictory or self-defeating course of action: "The Catch-22 of his administration was that every grandiose improvement scheme began with community dismemberment" Village Voice.
4. A tricky or disadvantageous condition; a catch: "Of course, there is a Catch-22 with Form 4868you are supposed to include a check if you owe any additional tax, otherwise you face some penalties" New York.

[After Catch-22, a novel by Joseph Heller (1923-1999), American writer.]

Catch-22 adj.

catch-22
Noun
a situation in which a person is frustrated by a set of circumstances that prevent any attempt to escape from them [from the title of a novel by J Heller]
Translations
Spanish catch-22 [ˈkætʃtwɛntɪˈtuː] n it's a catch-22 situation → es un callejón sin salida, es un círculo vicioso
French catch-22 [ˈkætʃtwentɪˈtuː] n it's a catch-22 situation → c'est (une situation) sans issue
German catch-22 [ˈkætʃtwɛntɪˈtuː] catch n it's a catch-22 situation → es ist eine Zwickmühle
Italian catch-22 [ˈkætʃtwɛntɪˈtuː] n it's a catch-22 situation → non c'è via d'uscita

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The Bush administration's reasoning is founded on a twisted form of Catch-22 logic.
Gerard Thomas describes well the Catch-22 that many priests will face when Rome releases its statement on gay clergy.
The latter, once described as Catch-22 with stethoscopes, employed dark humor to mount a devastating indictment of the way physicians were trained in the 1970s.
 
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