In such a desperate situation that you will try even the most unhopeful way of solving it; from the idea of a drowning person trying to gain a hold on anything at all, however flimsy. To my amazement, I sold almost all of my paintings!”, The candidate was losing the debate badly. “Arthur was going to be laid off from work, but when they called him in he immediately brought up the fact that he had never taken a sick day in five years. In Reply to: Clutching at straws posted by R. Berg on January 05, 2004. : : does anyone know the origin of clutching at straws, or maybe, grasping at straws. Clutching at straws, I decided to have a sidewalk sale. He knew he was just grasping at straws.”, “I was failing as an artist. Prior to that, desperate people would 'catch at a straw'. It was first used in 1534 by Thomas More in Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation and has been used figuratively, in different forms, since the mid-1500’s. That usage of 'catch' was commonly used in medieval England, by which was meant 'obtain/achieve'; for example, John Wycliffe used it in his 1382 translation of the Bible into English, in 1 Timothy 6:12: Stryve thou a good strif of feith, catche everlastyng lyf. The 'catch at a straw' version of the proverb is first recorded in the English cleric John Prime's Fruitful and Brief Discourse, 1583: We do not as men redie to be drowned, catch at euery straw. Subscribe to our YouTube channel! When the expression was coined it specifically referred to drowning. The idiom ‘grasping at straws’ comes from an old proverb “A drowning man will clutch at straws,” meaning that a drowning man will grab at anything around to try to save himself, even a floating straw. I had yet to sell a painting. He was just grasping at straws. The expression is “grasping at straws,” not “grasping for straws.”. The proverb is found in varying forms: a drowning man will clutch at a straw; A drowning man grabs at a straw; A drowning man snatches at straws, etc. To be grasping at straws means to be willing to do, say, or believe anything that offers even the slightest hope in a desperate situation, even though there is almost no chance for success.

Try any route to get out of a desperate situation, no matter how unlikely it is to succeed. A DROWNING MAN WILL CATCH AT STRAWS - "A desperate person will try anything to save himself, no matter how unlikely. 'To clutch at straws' is now used as a figurative phrase, to describe any desperate situation. Want to see more videos from Idioms.Online? 'To clutch at straws' is now used as a figurative phrase, to describe any desperate situation. It is only since the mid-19th century that we have been clutching at straws. “Grabbing at straws” (or “grasping,” today the more common form) comes from the very old proverb noted by Samuel Richardson in his novel Clarissa (1748): “A drowning man will catch at a straw, the proverb well says.” When the expression was coined it specifically referred to drowning. : An old proverb that goes something like "Drowning men will grasp at straws," meaning that people who feel desperate will try anything, even if it's unlikely to help. He kept grasping at straws, bringing up any little thing he thought might discredit his opponent.”. From "The Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996). : An old proverb that goes something like "Drowning men will grasp at straws," meaning that people who feel … grasping at straws. The idiom ‘grasping at straws’ comes from an old proverb “A drowning man will clutch at straws,” meaning that a drowning man will grab at anything around to try to save himself, even a floating straw. This page contains one or more affiliate links. First cited in the United States in 'Colonial Currency' .  Moving on to the 19th century, 'catch' has fallen from favour and we find an early mention of the current 'clutch at straws' version in The New-York Mirror, 1832: On to the 21st century and you no longer need to be drowning or desperate to clutch at straws - straw clutch bags have become fashion items. See full affiliate disclosure. Being, as it was, a flimsy and virtually valueless waste product, it was often used as a synonym for the most unimportant and trifling of objects. Straws do float, but a drowning man would have to be pretty much out of other ideas if he put any reliance on it bearing his weight. to depend on something that is useless; to make a futile attempt at something.

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