B2 Idiom Neutral

ψάχνω ψύλλους στ' άχυρα

looking for fleas in straw

Bedeutung

Looking for something impossible or very difficult.

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Kultureller Hintergrund

The use of 'fleas' reflects the historical reality of Greek rural life where livestock and humans lived in close proximity. The idiom is used identically in Cyprus, showing the shared linguistic heritage of agricultural metaphors. Greek developers frequently use this idiom to describe 'debugging' or 'data mining'. Politicians often use this to accuse the opposition of focusing on minor scandals to distract from big issues.

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Master the Elision

Always say 'στ' άχυρα' instead of 'στα άχυρα' to sound like a native speaker. It flows better.

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Don't over-use it

If you use it for every small problem, you will sound like you give up too easily!

Bedeutung

Looking for something impossible or very difficult.

🎯

Master the Elision

Always say 'στ' άχυρα' instead of 'στα άχυρα' to sound like a native speaker. It flows better.

⚠️

Don't over-use it

If you use it for every small problem, you will sound like you give up too easily!

Teste dich selbst

Fill in the missing words to complete the idiom.

Προσπαθώ να βρω το κλειδί μου στην παραλία, αλλά είναι σαν να ψάχνω ______ στ' ______.

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: ψύλλους / άχυρα

The standard idiom uses 'ψύλλους' (fleas) and 'άχυρα' (straw).

Which situation best fits the idiom 'ψάχνω ψύλλους στ' άχυρα'?

Situation: You are looking for a specific person in a crowd of 50,000 people at a stadium.

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: True

This is a classic example of an impossible search in a vast area.

Complete the dialogue with the correct form of the idiom.

Α: Βρήκες το λάθος στην αναφορά; Β: Όχι, είναι πολύ δύσκολο. Είναι σαν να ______.

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: ψάχνω ψύλλους στ' άχυρα

Speaker B is talking about their own action, so the first person singular 'ψάχνω' is correct.

🎉 Ergebnis: /3

Visuelle Lernhilfen

Aufgabensammlung

3 Aufgaben
Fill in the missing words to complete the idiom. Fill Blank B1

Προσπαθώ να βρω το κλειδί μου στην παραλία, αλλά είναι σαν να ψάχνω ______ στ' ______.

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: ψύλλους / άχυρα

The standard idiom uses 'ψύλλους' (fleas) and 'άχυρα' (straw).

Which situation best fits the idiom 'ψάχνω ψύλλους στ' άχυρα'? Choose A2

Situation: You are looking for a specific person in a crowd of 50,000 people at a stadium.

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: True

This is a classic example of an impossible search in a vast area.

Complete the dialogue with the correct form of the idiom. dialogue_completion B2

Α: Βρήκες το λάθος στην αναφορά; Β: Όχι, είναι πολύ δύσκολο. Είναι σαν να ______.

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: ψάχνω ψύλλους στ' άχυρα

Speaker B is talking about their own action, so the first person singular 'ψάχνω' is correct.

🎉 Ergebnis: /3

Häufig gestellte Fragen

2 Fragen

Both are used, but 'ψύλλους' (plural) is much more common as it emphasizes the chaos of the search.

Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to describe a difficult data search or a complex problem.

Verwandte Redewendungen

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διυλίζω τον κώνωπα

similar

To strain the gnat (nitpicking).

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κυνηγάω χίμαιρες

similar

Chasing chimeras.

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τρέχα γύρευε

specialized form

Go figure / Good luck finding it.

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