To look for a needle in a pottle of hay.
Meaning: Searching for something impossibly small in an overwhelming mass of material wastes effort fruitlessly.
Origin: From 'A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases' (1870). Public domain.
Translations
- French: Chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin (literally: To look for a needle in a bundle of hay)
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