be like finding a needle in a haystack

To be very difficult to locate. Said especially of something small or hidden among similar things. I really need to tidy up my office. Whenever I need a specific document, it's like finding a needle in a haystack! Trying to find my contact lens on the floor was like finding a needle in a haystack. A: "I don't think there's a viable candidate in this batch either." B: "Geez, filling this position has been like finding a needle in a haystack!"

See also: finding, haystack, like, needle

be like looking for a needle in a haystack

To be similar to searching for something that is very difficult to locate, especially something small or something hidden among similar things. Trying to find my contact lens on the floor was like looking for a needle in a haystack. I really need to tidy up my office. Whenever I need a specific document, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack! A: "I don't think there's a viable candidate in this batch either." B: "Geez, filling this position has been like looking for a needle in a haystack!"

See also: for, haystack, like, look, needle

be like trying to find a needle in a haystack

To be similar to searching for something that is very difficult to locate, especially something small and/or something hidden among similar things. Trying to find my contact lens on the floor was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I really need to tidy up my office. Whenever I need a specific document, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack! A: "I don't think there's a viable candidate in this batch either." B: "Geez, I didn't expect filling this position to be like trying to find a needle in a haystack!"

See also: find, haystack, like, needle, to, trying

like finding a needle in a haystack

Said when one is searching for something that is very difficult to locate, especially something very small or hidden among many things. I really need to tidy up my office. Whenever I need a specific document, it's like finding a needle in a haystack! Trying to find my contact lens on the floor was like finding a needle in a haystack.

See also: finding, haystack, like, needle

like looking for a needle in a haystack

Similar to searching for something that is very difficult to locate, especially something small and/or something hidden among similar things. Trying to find my contact lens on the floor was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

See also: for, haystack, like, look, needle

needle in a haystack

Something that is very difficult to locate. Trying to find my contact lens on the floor was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

like looking for a needle in a haystack

Fig. engaged in a hopeless search. Trying to find a white glove in the snow is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I tried to find my lost contact lens on the beach, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

See also: for, haystack, like, look, needle

needle in a haystack

An item that is very hard or impossible to locate, as in Looking for that screw in Dean's workshop amounts to looking for a needle in a haystack. Originating in the early 1500s, with meadow instead of haystack, this metaphor exists in many other languages as well.

like looking for a needle in a haystack

If trying to find something is like looking for a needle in a haystack, it is extremely difficult or impossible. She was told by police that searching for the dog would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Note: This expression is very variable. It soon became clear that we were looking for a needle in a haystack. It's very much a needle in a haystack situation that we're dealing with.

See also: for, haystack, like, look, needle

a needle in a haystack

something that is almost impossible to find because it is concealed by so many other similar things.

2002 New York Times Magazine Terrorists don't fit a consistent profile: you're looking for a needle in a haystack, but the color and shape of the needle keep changing.

like looking for/trying to find a ˌneedle in a ˈhaystack

very difficult to find: How can we ever find the quotation if you don’t even know what part of the book it comes from? It’ll be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

See also: find, for, haystack, like, look, needle, to, trying

needle in a haystack, (like finding) a

An item that is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find. This term dates from the sixteenth century, although “haystack” at first appeared as “meadow” (in Sir Thomas More’s Works, 1532), “bottle of hay” (Robert Greene, 1592), or “load of hay” (John Taylor, 1619). The same metaphor exists in numerous languages.