(one) didn't just fall off the turnip truck

One is not some awkward, naïve, or unsophisticated bumpkin, as is being suggested or implied. A: "OK, just be sure not to make lewd remarks like that during the dinner party." B: "Hey, I know how to act around decent folk! I didn't just fall off the turnip truck, you know." You're wearing jeans to a fancy event—good luck convincing the boss that you didn't just fall off the turnip truck. I may have grown up in a small town, but I didn't just fall off the turnip truck—I actually went to college in New York City.

See also: fall, just, off, truck, turnip

fall off the turnip truck

To be gullible, naïve, or unsophisticated. The subject is often a person from a rural or rustic background. Mary has no idea about how to act in polite society, always behaving as if she just fell off the turnip truck. I may have grown up in a small town, but I didn't just fall off the turnip truck—I actually went to college in New York City. A: "OK, just be sure not to make lewd remarks like that during the dinner party." B: "Hey, I know how to act around decent folk! I didn't just fall off the turnip truck, you know."

like getting blood from a turnip

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

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 turnip

Impossible or extremely difficult to accomplish. Good luck getting a group of toddlers to sit still—it's like getting blood out of a turnip. 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 turnip."

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

you can't get blood from a stone

proverb It is impossible to obtain something from someone if they are too parsimonious, uncharitable, or resolved against it. I've tried everything to get my toddler to eat vegetables, but you can't get blood from a stone. I give up. Good luck trying to get Dad to give you the money. You can't get blood from a stone. If you think I'll give you the information you're looking for, you're sorely mistaken! You can't get blood from a stone!

you can't get blood from a turnip

proverb It is impossible to obtain something from someone if they are too parsimonious, uncharitable, or resolved against it. I've tried everything to get my toddler to eat vegetables, but you can't get blood from a turnip. I give up. Good luck trying to get Dad to give you the money. You can't get blood from a turnip. If you think I'll give you the information you're looking for, you're sorely mistaken! You can't get blood from a turnip!

you can't get blood out of a turnip

It's pointless trying to achieve something that is already impossible. Good luck getting a group of toddlers to sit still—you can't get blood out of a turnip, you know. A: "Why don't you ask your dad for the money?" B: "Because you can't get blood out of a turnip."

you can't squeeze blood from a turnip

proverb It is impossible to obtain something from someone if they are too parsimonious, uncharitable, or resolved against it. I've tried everything to get my toddler to eat vegetables, but you can't squeeze blood from a turnip. I give up. Good luck trying to get Dad to give you the money. You can't squeeze blood from a turnip. If you think I'll give you the information you're looking for, you're sorely mistaken! You can't squeeze blood from a turnip!

just fell off the turnip truck

Rur. ignorant; unsophisticated. He stood there gawking at the buildings in town like he just fell off the turnip truck. My cousin acts like she just fell off the turnip truck.

See also: fell, just, off, truck, turnip

You cannot get blood from a stone.

and You cannot get blood from a turnip.

Prov. You cannot get help from an uncharitable person or money from someone who has none. Jerry and James spent two hours trying to convince the old miser to contribute to the children's hospital; finally, James turned to Jerry and said in disgust, "This is hopeless. We can't get blood from a stone." The government can't increase taxes any further—nobody has the money! You can't get blood from a turnip.

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

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

blood from a stone/turnip, one can't get

This is a hopeless source of help (money, comfort, and so forth). Both stone and turnip date from the nineteenth century, and other versions exist in numerous languages. Dickens used the stone analogy a number of times, in David Copperfield, Our Mutual Friend, and other works, and health-food trends notwithstanding, it is more common today than turnip. However, Clive Cussler had the latter in Sahara (1992): “‘You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip,’ said Giordino. ‘It’s a miracle we made it this far.’”