Gordian knot
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈɡɔrdɪən nɑt/
- Literature
:
nudo gordiano
- The negotiations have become a Gordian knot, with no easy solution in sight.
- cut the Gordian knot
- untie the Gordian knot
And perhaps this applies to to our our understanding in our own time what this Gordian knot is.
- And perhaps this applies to to our our understanding in our own time what this Gordian knot is.
- One consequences is that it will and, and often times in a very surprising way, cut existing Gordian knots surprisingly easily.
- And so this is known as cutting the Gordian knot, that some things can't be done in the normal way at all.
- One thing I've thought a lot about is there's an interesting way to sort of cut the Gordian knot of NIMBYMB and when each the hell is NIMBY?
Examples
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With one blow, Arizona has chosen to sever the Gordian knot of timidity, cowardice, and political opportunism that the feds have created.
Blog text (5) -
I had both a responsibility and a right to study it because my ethnic group was partly responsible for making it the Gordian knot that it is.
Academic text (1996) -
How then to cut the Gordian knot?
Academic text (1990) -
The devolution question, like all public policy issues, is a Gordian knot.
Blog text (9) -
And so this is known as cutting the Gordian knot, that some things can't be done in the normal way at all.
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This polarization seems to be the Gordian knot which which with which scientific culture is at present struggling and which it does not properly understand.
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But what has been getting missed in the media thus far are the underlying circumstances that make this a particularly difficult Gordian knot of diplomacy.
Blog text (32) -
It will take the combined efforts of the president and Congress to untangle or cut some of these time-hardened Gordian knots.
Academic text (1990) -
If Icahn wants to be a constructive force, he can untie that Gordian knot and get consumers what they want, in a way that makes Netflix and the studios happy.
Blog text (15) -
His relationship with his Swedish superiors in the foreign service increased his radicalism and convinced him that Sweden's unwillingness to accept Norwegian equality was the Gordian knot of the Union conflict.
Academic text (1996)
Synonyms
A difficult problem that is hard to solve
A difficult problem with no easy solution
How Difficult
Surface Forms
Morphology
Gordian + knot
The meaning ‘a very difficult or seemingly unsolvable problem’ depends on a cultural/historical reference (the legend of Gordius and Alexander) rather than straightforward composition of the parts. Knowing the words 'Gordian' (a proper name/descriptor) and 'knot' (a tangle) does not allow a B1 learner to infer the idiomatic sense without prior exposure, so its interpretation is language- and culture-specific.
Etymology
Gordian knot comes from one popular story about King Gordius, who tied a very tangled knot. Alexander the Great cut the knot with his sword instead of untying it, so today Gordian knot means 'a very difficult problem' often solved by a bold, simple action.