Gordian knots
Hopelessly complex problems
Gordian knots are problems so tangled or complex they seem impossible to solve by ordinary means.
The phrase comes from a legendary knot that Alexander the Great cut with his sword rather than untangle.
To cut the Gordian knot is to resolve a difficulty through bold, unconventional action rather than patient unraveling: The new CEO cut the Gordian knot by simply eliminating the department.
- inextricableImpossible to disentangle
- tangled webComplex network of deceit
- cruxMost important point
- solutionAnswer or liquid mixture
- cut throughCross directly, ignoring boundaries
complexity · unconventionality · entanglement · tied up · problem · knotwork · intertwined · enigma · prophesy · lateral thinking · thinking outside the box · unsolvable · mythology · decisiveness · difficulties · oracle · boldness · ancient Greece
Gordian knotschild's play
Something extremely easy
no-brainers · plain sailing · walkovers · gimmes · layups
Gordian knotsquick fixes
Temporary solutions, not thorough
slam dunks · silver bullets · magic bullets · panaceas · foregone conclusions
Gordian, knot, knots, knotted, knotting, knotty, unknot, unknotted