catch at straws

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Drowning men, as you know, catch at straws; and this is a wise arrangement, for otherwise they would not often be saved by planks.

From Forty Years in the Wilderness of Pills and Powders Cogitations and Confessions of an Aged Physician by Alcott, William A. (William Andrus)

Notwithstanding its improbability, the idea takes, and is entertained, as drowning men catch at straws.

From The Death Shot A Story Retold by Reid, Mayne

A new character appears, but not a very amiable one; but I attach myself to him, as drowning men catch at straws.

From Japhet, in Search of a Father by Marryat, Frederick

I catch at straws, perhaps, with my unlearned hands, but it's the instinct of affection.

From The Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume II by Kenyon, Frederic G. (Frederic George), Sir

Dying men catch at straws, and, to appeal to this passage is as if one were catching at a straw.

From The Doctrines of Predestination, Reprobation, and Election by Wallace, Robert