needle in a haystack

See also: needle-in-a-haystack

English

Alternative forms

needle-in-a-haystack

Noun

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.

Synonyms

needle in a straw poll

Translations

idiomatic

Chinese:
Mandarin: 大海撈針 (zh), 大海捞针 (zh) (dàhǎilāozhēn)
Czech: jehla v kupce sena f
Dutch: naald in een hooiberg
Finnish: neula heinäsuovassa
French: chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin (fr) (verb)
German: Nadel im Heuhaufen f
Greek: βελόνα στ' άχυρο f (velóna st' áchyro), ψύλλους στ' άχυρο m pl (psýllous st' áchyro)
Hungarian: tű a szénakazalban
Icelandic: saumnál í heystakki f
Italian: ago in un pagliaio m

Japanese: 干し草の山の針 (ほしくさのやまのはり, hoshikusa-no yama-no hari)
Macedonian: игла во стог сено (ígla vo stog séno)
Polish: igła w stogu siana f
Portuguese: agulha num palheiro
Russian: иго́лка в сто́ге се́на f (igólka v stóge séna)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ѝгла у пла̑сту сије̑на f / ѝгла у пла̑сту се̑на f

Roman: ìgla u plȃstu sijȇna f / ìgla u plȃstu sȇna f
Spanish: aguja en un pajar (es)
Swedish: nål i en höstack
Turkish: samanlıkta iğne

References

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