like getting blood out of a stone

Impossible or extremely difficult to accomplish. Good luck getting a group of toddlers to sit still—it's like getting blood out of a stone. A: "Why don't you ask your dad for the money?" B: "Because getting my dad to lend money is like getting blood out of a stone."

See also: blood, get, like, of, out, stone

like getting blood out of a stone

BRITISH or

like getting blood out of a turnip

AMERICAN

If you say something is like getting blood out of a stone, you mean it is extremely difficult to persuade someone to give you money or information. Getting a response from Pritchard's office was like getting blood out of a stone. Note: You can also say like getting blood from a stone or like getting blood from a turnip. Getting money back from the seller is like getting blood from a stone.

See also: blood, get, like, of, out, stone

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

like getting blood out of (or from) a stone

extremely difficult and frustrating.

A North American variant of this expression is like getting blood out of a turnip .

See also: blood, get, like, of, out, stone

like getting ˌblood out of/from a ˈstone

extremely difficult to obtain: Getting an apology from him was like getting blood out of a stone.

See also: blood, get, like, of, out, stone

See also: