grasping at straws
Seeking unlikely salvation
Grasping at straws describes desperately trying any option, however unlikely to succeed, when facing failure or difficulty.
The image is of a drowning person clutching at floating straw—something too flimsy to save them.
With no evidence to support his theory, he was grasping at straws.
Also *clutching at straws*.
- desperateDriven by urgent need
- hopelessBeyond possibility of success
- futileIncapable of producing results
- losing battleUnwinnable contest
- clutchingHolding tightly onto
reaching · drowning · last-ditch · hail mary · flailing · scrambling · wishful · false hope · denial · in denial · sinking · panic · shot in the dark · wild goose chase · excuses · rationalizing · thin · unlikely
grasping at strawssystematic approach
Organized, repeatable procedure
evidence-based reasoning · logical analysis · due diligence · scientific method · strategic thinking
grasping at strawsin control
Managing with authority
on solid ground · holding all the cards · in the driver's seat · calm and collected · composed