CATCH-22

noun (plural ~'s or ~s) Usage: often capitalized Etymology: from Catch-22, paradoxical rule in the novel Catch-22 (1961) by Joseph Heller Date: 1971 a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule , 2. 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, a hidden difficulty or means of entrapment ; catch