to grasp a rope of sand

9.9

To try to do something that cannot be done

idiom

Archaic

: intentar lo imposible

Negotiating peace between those two rivals is often compared to grasping a rope of sand.

Examples

Trying to fix the broken vase without glue was like grasping a rope of sand.
He soon realized that searching for his lost notes was grasping a rope of sand.
Don't grasp a rope of sand in your career!
She is trying to grasp a rope of sand with her new project.
He soon realized that searching for his lost notes was grasping a rope of sand.
Negotiating peace between those two rivals is often compared to grasping a rope of sand.
Trying to fix the broken vase without glue was like grasping a rope of sand.

Synonyms

to fight a losing battle

vsto grasp a rope of sand

Informal

4 6.5

Try very hard to do something even though you will probably fail

implies a tougher case where success is virtually impossible

to bang one's head against a brick wall

vsto grasp a rope of sand

Informal

1 8.2

To try many times to do something without success and feel frustrated

describes trying what cannot succeed rather than repeated failing attempts

to push water uphill

vsto grasp a rope of sand

Informal

9.6

Try to do something that is very hard or impossible

is about actions that are completely hopeless and without any chance

Antonyms

to achieve

∞ 2.3

To reach a goal by effort or skill

to succeed

846 2.0

To reach a goal after trying hard

Surface Forms

grasp a rope of sand infinitive

grasped a rope of sand past

grasped a rope of sand past participle

grasping a rope of sand present participle

grasps a rope of sand third person singular

Morphology

grasp + a + rope + of + sand

The expression evokes a literal, impossible action—trying to grasp a rope made of sand—so the futility is directly inferable from the meanings of 'grasp', 'rope' and 'sand'. This concrete visual metaphor is cross-linguistically common (e.g. ‘grasping at straws’, ‘catching smoke’), making the idiomatic sense readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Grasp a rope of sand comes from the image of trying to grasp a rope made of sand, where the sand slips through your fingers and the rope cannot hold. That's why it means 'to try something impossible or hopeless'.