seek a knot in a bulrush en · VERB
Etymology
Calque of Latin nōdum in scirpō quaerō.
Meanings
-
(archaic) To find problems where none exist.
When others, with dirty hands, strive to cleanse these psalms, they seem to seek a knot in a bulrush and (to put the matter in a word) while they polish they pollute.
2002, Dr Martin Garrett, Sidney: The Critical Heritage, →ISBN, page 138:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| seeking a knot in a bulrush | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| look for a knot in a bulrush | alternative | lexicographic | |
| seek knots in bulrushes | alternative | lexicographic | |
| seeks a knot in a bulrush | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| seek knots in a bulrush | alternative | lexicographic | |
| sought a knot in a bulrush | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| sought a knot in a bulrush | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Translations (5)
ro căuta nod în papură (to find problems where none exist) · fi keksiä vikoja (to find problems where none exist) · hu a kákán is csomót keres (to find problems where none exist) · fi saivarrella (to find problems where none exist) · fr chercher midi à quatorze heures (to find problems where none exist)