cannot see the wood for the trees
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Related to cannot see the forest for the trees: can't see the forest for the trees, cannot see the wood for the trees
can't see the wood for the trees
Cannot see, understand, or focus on a situation in its entirety due to being preoccupied with minor details. The way he's obsessing over one doorknob when we're renovating the entire house makes me think that he can't see the wood for the trees.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
cannot see the wood for the trees
and cannot see the forest for the treesProv. Cannot perceive the overview or important things because of concentrating too much on details. The information presented in this textbook is so disorganized that I can't see the wood for the trees. The politician's opponents claimed that she couldn't see the forest for the trees, because she spent so much time trying to solve minor problems.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
cannot see the wood for the trees
fail to grasp the main issue because of over-attention to details.The North American version of this expression is cannot see the forest for the trees .
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017