Question

Grasp at Straws to depend on something useless in a time of trouble; to make a hopeless effort to save yourself; to try something with little hope of succeeding

Accepted Answer

I guessed at half the answers on the biology test. I was just grasping at straws. Ancient people made up this expression. They thought of a drowning person. He clutched frantically at reeds (hollow, strawlike grass) that grew on the banks of the river in a desperate, futile attempt to save himself. By the 1600s "clutching (or grasping) at straws" had become a popular proverb to express the idea of depending on something useless to help when there is trouble or danger.

Idiom	Grasp at Straws
Example	I guessed at half the answers on the biology test. I was just grasping at straws.
Meaning	to depend on something useless in a time of trouble; to make a hopeless effort to save yourself; to try something with little hope of succeeding
Origin	Ancient people made up this expression. They thought of a drowning person. He clutched frantically at reeds (hollow, strawlike grass) that grew on the banks of the river in a desperate, futile attempt to save himself. By the 1600s "clutching (or grasping) at straws" had become a popular proverb to express the idea of depending on something useless to help when there is trouble or danger.

Straws I Useless Save Grasp Guessed Half Answers