needle in a haystack

Idioms  

1. An item that is very hard or impossible to locate, as in Looking for that screw in Dean's workshop amounts to looking for a needle in a haystack. Originating in the early 1500s, with meadow instead of haystack, this metaphor exists in many other languages as well.

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Example Sentences

The process can take months for a single archaeological site and often feels like searching for a needle in a haystack.

From Science Daily • May 11, 2026

While picking a big winner is like finding a proverbial needle in a haystack, it’s much easier than in 1926.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

“A needle in a haystack would be easier to find than a ring in this house,” he told the couple.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2024

"It was like finding a needle in a haystack, and to rediscover her this year was momentous," said James Penca, Titanic researcher and presenter of the Witness Titanic podcast.

From BBC • Sep. 1, 2024

“You were a needle in a haystack, to be sure!”

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood