Word info

needle in a haystack

Noun

Meaning

needle in a haystack (plural needles in a haystack or needles in haystacks)

(idiomatic) Something that is difficult or impossible to locate; something impossibly complex or intractable.
You'll never find the paper you need on her desk. You're looking for a needle in a haystack.

needle-in-a-haystack (uncountable)

Alternative spelling of needle in a haystack

Source: en.wiktionary.org

Alternative names

needle-in-a-haystack

Examples

Finding happiness should not be seen as finding a needle in a haystack. Happiness is within. Each day is a blessing that brings an abundance of happiness. Therefore, finding happiness should be like finding a gift in a stack of gifts. Steve Maraboli

The way to find a needle in a haystack is to sit down. Beryl Markham

But first, the news: The House of Commons was sealed off today after police chased an escaped lunatic through the front door during Prime Minister's question time. A spokesman at Scotland Yard said it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Ronnie Barker

It's a funny thing about looking for things. If you hunt for a needle in a haystack you don't find it. If you don't give a darn whether you ever see the needle or not it runs into you the first time you lean against the stack. P. G. Wodehouse

Close letter words and terms