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Guest Posted 22 years ago
Vocabulary

What's a Catch 24 thing?

Or is it Catch 21, 22, whatever thing? What does it mean and what is its origin? Thanks!
  

Top answer

Hello Guest, It's "Catch 22" and it comes from the title of a novel by Joseph Heller (1961) about the madness of war. You can also find this expression in the phrase "It's a Catch-22 situation" According to Merriam-Webster, it's a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule It gives these aditional meanings: an illogical, unreasonable, or senseless situation a measure or policy whose effect is the opposite of what was intended a situation presenting two equally undesirable alternatives [url=""]Here[/url] you can find more information on the novel and its relation to the meaning.

— Novalee

  • Hello Guest, It's "Catch 22" and it comes from the title of a novel by Joseph Heller (1961) about the madness of war.
  • You can also find this expression in the phrase "It's a Catch-22 situation" According to Merriam-Webster, it's a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule It gives these aditional meanings: an illogical, unreasonable, or senseless situation a measure or policy whose effect is the opposite of what was intended a situation presenting two equally undesirable alternatives [url=""]Here[/url] you can find more information on the novel and its relation to the meaning.
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3 Answers
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Hello Guest,
It's "Catch 22" and it comes from the title of a novel by Joseph Heller (1961) about the madness of war.

You can also find this expression in the phrase "It's a Catch-22 situation"

According to Merriam-Webster, it's a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule
It gives these a
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In the novel, the situation was that of considering whether fighter pilots were fit to fly on dangerous missions. Any pilot who didn't want to fly any more missions was perfectly sane and should therefore fly. Any pilot who did want to fly another mission was insane and therefore not fit to fly.
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In the novel Catch 22 bombardiers can make request not to take part in bombings if they make an insanity plea. But if you realise the dangers of making bombardier flights (and thus do not want to make them) then you are not insane ...
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