grasp at straws

• clutch at straws / clutch at a straw
• grab at straws / grab at a straw
• grasp at a straw

This idiom refers to a drowning man grabbing any floating object, even a straw, to save himself. It was first used by Thomas More in A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation (1534).

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grasp at straws

1. (idiomatic) To guess randomly at or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information.

   I've never met his mother, so I'm grasping at straws for an appropriate gift for her.

2. (idiomatic) To get hold at any help, even if it is insignificant.

• straw-clutchingly
• a drowning man will clutch at a straw

• Titelman, Gregory Y., "The Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" (Random House, New York, 1996).