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.
It is said "the drowning catch at straws."
From Life in the Grey Nunnery at Montreal by Richardson, Sarah J.
Yet some old and tried soldiers laughed and said, "Drowning men catch at straws; and this good fellow thinks to talk himself out of gaol."
From The Adventurous Simplicissimus being the description of the Life of a Strange vagabond named Melchior Sternfels von Fuchshaim by Grimmelshausen, Hans Jacob Christoph von
Drowning men will catch at straws, and Herbert, in his trouble, tried to think this was probably the way it had happened.
From Try and Trust by Alger, Horatio
At such times the mind, fearful for herself, catches at phrases and fancies, as drowning men catch at straws.
From An Old Meerschaum From Coals Of Fire And Other Stories, Volume II. (of III.) by Murray, David Christie
Drowning people, it is said, catch at straws.
From Forty Years in the Wilderness of Pills and Powders Cogitations and Confessions of an Aged Physician by Alcott, William A. (William Andrus)
