seek a knot in a bulrush
seek a knot in a bulrush verb: to find problems where none exist.
Verb
seek a knot in a bulrush (third-person singular simple present seeks a knot in a bulrush, present participle seeking a knot in a bulrush, simple past and past participle sought a knot in a bulrush)
- To find problems where none exist.
- When others, with dirty hands, strive to cleanse these psalms, they seem to seek a knot in a bulrush and (to put the matter in a word) while they polish they pollute.2002, Dr Martin Garrett, Sidney: The Critical Heritage, →ISBN, page 138
Forms of seek a knot in a bulrush
| third-person singular present | seeks a knot in a bulrush |
|---|---|
| present participle | seeking a knot in a bulrush |
| past participle | sought a knot in a bulrush |
| past | sought a knot in a bulrush |
| alternative form | seek knots in a bulrush |
| alternative form | seek knots in bulrushes |
| alternative form | look for a knot in a bulrush |
Origin of seek a knot in a bulrush
Calque of Latin nōdum in scirpō quaerō.
Questions about seek a knot in a bulrush
- What does seek a knot in a bulrush mean?
- Seek a knot in a bulrush means to find problems where none exist.
- What part of speech is seek a knot in a bulrush?
- Seek a knot in a bulrush is a verb.
- What is the past tense of seek a knot in a bulrush?
- The past tense of seek a knot in a bulrush is sought a knot in a bulrush.
Words near seek a knot in a bulrush in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: seek a knot in a bulrush (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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