Signification
Looking for something impossible or very difficult.
Contexte culturel
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.
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!
Signification
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-toi
Fill in the missing words to complete the idiom.
Προσπαθώ να βρω το κλειδί μου στην παραλία, αλλά είναι σαν να ψάχνω ______ στ' ______.
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.
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 ______.
Speaker B is talking about their own action, so the first person singular 'ψάχνω' is correct.
🎉 Score : /3
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
3 exercicesΠροσπαθώ να βρω το κλειδί μου στην παραλία, αλλά είναι σαν να ψάχνω ______ στ' ______.
The standard idiom uses 'ψύλλους' (fleas) and 'άχυρα' (straw).
Situation: You are looking for a specific person in a crowd of 50,000 people at a stadium.
This is a classic example of an impossible search in a vast area.
Α: Βρήκες το λάθος στην αναφορά; Β: Όχι, είναι πολύ δύσκολο. Είναι σαν να ______.
Speaker B is talking about their own action, so the first person singular 'ψάχνω' is correct.
🎉 Score : /3
Questions fréquentes
2 questionsBoth 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.
Expressions liées
διυλίζω τον κώνωπα
similarTo strain the gnat (nitpicking).
κυνηγάω χίμαιρες
similarChasing chimeras.
τρέχα γύρευε
specialized formGo figure / Good luck finding it.
