catch at straws

THESAURUS

catch at straws

ask for it, be hopeful, be rash, be reckless, carp, cavil, cut up, fault-find, find fault, go too far, keep hope alive, keep hoping, knock on wood, never say die, nitpick, pettifog, pick holes, pick to pieces, pull apart, pull to pieces, quibble, take exception, take heart, tear apart, tear to pieces

ROGET THESAURUS

catch at straws

Unimportance

VB be unimportant, not matter, go for nothing, matter nothing, signify nothing, matter little, matter little or nothing, not matter a straw, make light of, catch at straws.

Unskillfulness

VB be unskillful, not see an inch beyond one's nose, blunder, bungle, boggle, fumble, botch, bitch, flounder, stumble, trip, hobble, put one's foot in it, make a mess of, make hash of, make sad work of, overshoot the mark, play tricks with, play Puck, mismanage, misconduct, misdirect, misapply, missend, stultify oneself, make a fool of oneself, commit oneself, act foolishly, play the fool, put oneself out of court, lose control, lose control of oneself, lose one's head, lose one's cunning, begin at the wrong end, do things by halves, make two bites of a cherry, play at cross purposes, strain at a gnat and swallow a camel, put the cart before the horse, lock the stable door when the horse is stolen, not know what one is about, not know one's own interest, not know on which side one's bread is buttered, stand in one's own light, quarrel with one's bread and butter, throw a stone in one's own garden, kill the goose which lays the golden eggs, pay dear for one's whistle, cut one's own throat, bum one's fingers, knock one's head against a stone wall, beat one's head against a stone wall, fall into a trap, catch a Tartar, bring the house about one's ears, have too many eggs in one basket (imprudent), have too many irons in the fire, mistake, take the shadow for the substance, bark up the wrong tree, be in the wrong box, aim at a pigeon and kill a crow, take the wrong pig by the tail, get the wrong pig by the tail, get the wrong sow by the ear, get the dirty end of the stick, put the saddle on the wrong horse, put a square peg into a round hole, put new wine into old bottles, cut blocks with a razor, hold a farthing candle to the sun, fight with a shadow, grasp at a shadow, catch at straws, lean on a broken reed, reckon without one's host, pursue a wild goose chase, go on a fool's goose chase, sleeveless errand, go further and fare worse, lose one's way, miss one's way, fail.

Rashness

VB be rash, stick at nothing, play a desperate game, run into danger, play with fire, play with edge tools, carry too much sail, sail too near the wind, ride at single anchor, go out of one's depth, take a leap in the dark, buy a pig in a poke, donner tete baissee, knock, one's bead against a wall, rush on destruction, kick against the pricks, tempt Providence, go on a forlorn hope, go on a fool's errand, reckon one's chickens before they are hatched, count one's chickens before they are hatched, reckon without one's host, catch at straws, trust to a broken reed, lean on a broken reed.

Overestimation

VB overestimate, overrate, overvalue, overprize, overweigh, overreckon, overstrain, overpraise, eulogize, estimate too highly, attach too much importance to, make mountains of molehills, catch at straws, strain, magnify, exaggerate, set too high a value upon, think much of, make much of, think too much of, make too much of, outreckon, panegyrize, extol, extol to the skies, make the most of, make the best of, make the worst of, make two bites of a cherry, have too high an opinion of oneself.

Credulity

VB be credulous, jurare in verba magistri, follow implicitly, swallow, gulp down, take on trust, take for granted, take for gospel, run away with a notion, run away with an idea, jump to a conclusion, rush to a conclusion, think the moon is made of green cheese, take for granted, grasp the shadow for the substance, catch at straws, grasp at straws, impose upon.