What causes Xrot and yrot to share same axis?

Sometimes I have a prop and BOTH xtranslations do the same thing. What casues that and how do I fix that?
Sometimes no matter which Transformation parameter I adjust, the object no longer spins a certain way and thus, I lose a rotation option.
Comments
Oh snaps, I parented it to an opbject in the scene and I have all the rotational options back, but they no longer follow the indicated icons.
As in, up and down, does right and left.
Yes, one axis now controls another. Weird.
Saturday night, I guess.
Gimbal lock