how long is a piece of string
- idiom
- Informal
:
¿cuánto mide un trozo de cuerda?
- Whenever I ask when the repairs will be finished, he just says, 'how long is a piece of string?'
I know like it's kind of like ask asking how long is a piece of string?
- I know like it's kind of like ask asking how long is a piece of string?
Examples
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She replied with 'how long is a piece of string?' when asked about the cost of the project.
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If you want to know how many people will turn up, well, 'how long is a piece of string?'
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That's a question of how long is a piece of string!
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When asked about the timeline, he replied, "Well, how long is a piece of string?"
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When I asked how much time the project would take, he just said, 'how long is a piece of string?'
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She shrugged and answered, 'how long is a piece of string?' when I wanted to know the price.
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He always replies with 'how long is a piece of string?' whenever I ask for a specific timeline.
Synonyms
39
4.0
Not clearly fixed or known, with no set end date
11
7.0
Not clearly known or decided
9
7.0
Something very uncertain that you cannot predict
It is not possible to know for sure
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
how + long + be + a + piece + of + string
Although the constituent words are literal and familiar, the phrase functions as a rhetorical proverb meaning 'there is no precise answer' and this figurative usage cannot be derived from the literal question about string length. Recognizing this non-literal, conventionalized use requires prior exposure rather than compositional inference, so it is unpredictable for a B1 learner who only knows the parts.
Etymology
How long is a piece of string gives a simple picture: a piece of string can be any length, so you cannot say its exact size without more information. So people use it to mean 'it depends' or 'there is no simple answer'.