Is it clutching or grasping at straws?
In Britain and Australia, the more common term is clutching at straws, or sometimes catching at straws. While straws might float, they will not bear the weight of a drowning man. Therefore, grasping at straws or clutching at straws refers to a futile or desperate situation.
What does plucking at straws mean?
trying to find some way to succeed when nothing you choose is likely to work: We searched all the backup tapes, trying to find the missing files, but we knew we were grasping at straws.
What is the synonyms of grasping?
Some common synonyms of grasping are acquisitive, avaricious, covetous, and greedy.
What does grasping the nettle mean?
If you grasp the nettle, you deal with a problem, or do something that is unpleasant, quickly and in a determined way. [mainly British] The government should grasp the nettle of devaluation. See full dictionary entry for nettle.
What does a drowning man will clutch at a straw mean?
a drowning man will clutch at a straw in British English when hope of success is fading, people will try anything, no matter how unlikely it is that it will provide a solution.
Where did the phrase dead ringer come from?
The expression ‘dead ringer’ comes from American horse racing and originated at the end of the 19th century, when a horse that would be raced under a false name and pedigree was called a ringer. The word ‘dead’ in this expression refers not to lifelessness, but to “precise” or “exact.”
What does keep your wig on mean?
Meaning: This idiom is used to tell someone to calm down. View examples in Google: Keep your wig on! Idiom Definition.
What does reaching for straws mean?
To be grasping at straws means to be willing to do, say, or believe anything that offers even the slightest hope in a desperate situation, even though there is almost no chance for success.
What does ‘Clutching at Straws’ mean?
to clutch at straws. phrase. If you are clutching at straws or grasping at straws, you are trying unusual or extreme ideas or methods because other ideas or methods have failed. …a badly thought-out scheme from a Government clutching at straws.
What does grasp at Straws mean?
grasp at straws To make a desperate attempt to salvage a bad situation. Fig. to depend on something that is useless; to make a futile attempt at something. Also, clutch at straws.