strain at a gnat
English
Alternative forms
- strain out a gnat
Etymology
From the King James Version of the Bible, verse Matthew 23:24.[1]
Verb
strain at a gnat (third-person singular simple present strains at a gnat, present participle straining at a gnat, simple past and past participle strained at a gnat)
- (figuratively, idiomatic) to make a mountain out of a molehill
References
- “strain at a gnat”, in Collins English Dictionary.
- “strain at a gnat” in Idioms and phrases, TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.
- The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1611, →OCLC, Matthew 23:24.: “Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.”
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.