grasp at straws
grasp at straws
do, say or believe anything, however unlikely or inadequate which seems to offer hope in a desperate situation.
This expression comes from the proverb - a drowning man will dutch at a straw - which is recorded in various forms since the mid 16th century.
RELATED IDIOMS :
grasp the nettle
tackle a difficulty boldly – British
This expression refers to a belief (recorded from the late 16th century onwards) enshrined in a rhyme quoted in Sean O' Casey – JUNO and THE PAYCOCK (1925) : gently touch a nettle it'll sting you for your pains, grasp it like a lad of mettle and as soft as silk remains.
1998 - New Scientist - The problem was that governments failed to grasp the nettle and scrap the system.
grasp at straws :
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