сменять шило на мыло

• МЕНЯТЬ/СМЕНЯТЬ ШИЛО НА МЫЛО coll

[VP; subj: human; the verb may take the final position, otherwise fixed WO]

=====

⇒ to rid o.s. of an undesirable person or thing only to find o.s. with a worse person or thing, extricate o.s. from a bad situation only to find o.s. in a worse situation etc:

- X сменял шило на мыло{{}}≈ X jumped out of the frying pan into the fire;

- X traded bad for worse;

- X traded something bad for something (even) worse.

     ♦ [author's usage] "Он за что сидел-то?" - "За кражу..." - и Люба беспомощно посмотрела на подругу. "Шило на мыло, - сказала та. - Пьяницу на вора... Ну и судьбина тебе выпала! Живи одна, Любка" (Шукшин 1). "What was he in prison for?" "Burglary..." And Lyuba looked at her friend helplessly. "Out of the frying pan into the fire," said the latter. "A drunkard for a thief. What a terrible fate, poor thing. Live alone, Lyuba" (1a).