English

Alternative forms

• clutch at straws / clutch at a straw
• grab at straws / grab at a straw
• grasp at a straw

Verb

grasp at straws

1. (idiomatic) To guess randomly at or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information.

   I've never met his mother, so I'm grasping at straws for an appropriate gift for her.

Derived terms

• straw-clutchingly

References

• Titelman, Gregory Y., "The Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" (Random House, New York, 1996).