Find a Needle in a Haystack

Watch this on YouTube here - Hay Video - YouTube Video

Meaning:

Find a Needle in a Haystack means something is difficult to find.

“Well, that’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”

Origin:

You’ve probably lost something small before, like your keys or maybe even your phone. After searching every nook and cranny, you finally find them. Whew!

However, looking for a needle in a haystack, as the saying goes, is far more challenging. You are trying to find an object, like a small needle in this case, in a large stack of hay. This can be quite hard, if not impossible for some people. The needle and hay are so similar, that it can be easily overlooked.

This saying and others around the same idea have been used for hundreds of years in our language to express difficulty finding something, one of the first written records of a similar saying goes

But the first written record where the phrase was the same as what we used today was in The Complete Works of Washington Irving in 1834 reads:

“If I want to find any particular article, it is, in the language of an humble but expressive saying, — ‘looking for a needle in a haystack.’“

Example:

Today we still use the phrase to state that what we are looking for seems impossible or very hard to find, and example sentence it:

“We spent two hours looking for you at the festival, but it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”

Watch this on YouTube here - Hay Video - YouTube Video

Comments

Cold Hand, Warm Heart

Cold Hands, Warm Heart Watch this on YouTube here - Staying In - Youtube Video Meaning: Cold hands, warm heart alludes to people who have cold hands, have kind and loving personalities. Example Sentence: Jessica: "I don't like holding hands with Steve. His hands are so cold." Taylor: "Cold hands, warm heart." Origin: This phrase has been around since the 1700’s and is said to come from a French phrase Froides mains, chaudes amours, from Dictionnaire des proverbes françois by Georges de Backer in (1710). The phrase has held the same meaning since it has been written. This idiom has been alive for a while and is still used today. The first English text of the phrase cold hands, warm heart was in 1903 by V.S. Lean in 'Collectanea." " Cold Hands, Warm Heart" The expression does not only exist in English and French but is also known in German as Kalte Hand, Warmez Herz. Today we use it to say just because a person might s...

Shooting Fish In A Barrel

Shooting Fish In A Barrel Watch this on YouTube here - Fishy Idioms - YouTube Video Meaning: When a simple task needs to be done and there is guaranteed success in the task. A simple activity. Example Sentence: "The size of my apartment is relatively small, so keeping it nice and tidy is like shooting fish in a barrel ." Origin: The earliest instance found of this phrase was in a column called By the By! on February 11th, 1902. The column tells a story about 2 men - a high-end tea taster and a man drinking alcohol. the tea tester says that the man drinking alcohol can't tell what he is drinking after only 2 drinks. The drunk man replies "Oh yes I can, and what more I can tell you the brand of alcohol with certainty." The tea tester takes the bet. After the drinking test was over the drunk man won. He was asked, "How on Earth did you do it?" He replied, "Just as simple as shooting fish in a barrel." This saying originates from b...

Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees

Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees Watch this on YouTube here - Tree Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees means money is a limited resource and is not easily acquired, so it shouldn’t be spent in a careless manner. "Money doesn't grow on trees ya' know" Origin: So where does this phrase come from? Well, it is from the idea, that leaves are abundant, trees are full of them. So, if someone runs out of cash, they cannot simply go out to their backyard and pull dollar bills off the branches of a tree. No, money is not acquired so easily; a person has to work hard for it. The first time this is in writing is in 1891 in the Statesville Landmark newspaper it reads: “Money doesn’t grow on trees here yet.” Example: Today we still use this phrase to say that you have to work hard to get money, you can’t just go outside and pick it off the trees. An example sentence is: “I know you want a new bike, but I can’t afford it right now, Money doesn’t grow on tr...

Origins of Expressions

Search This Blog