needle



camel through the eye of a needle

Used as part of a comparison to indicate that something is impossible or extremely difficult to accomplish. Taken from the passage in the Bible (Luke 18:25), "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." You'd have an easier time getting a camel through the eye of a needle than getting them to agree on the issue.
See also: camel, eye, needle, of

darning needle

A regional term for a dragonfly. Primarily heard in US. I hate going to the lake, what with all those darning needles and other bugs constantly flying into me!
See also: darn, needle

needle in a haystack

Something that is very difficult to locate. Trying to find my contact lens on the floor was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
See also: haystack, needle

put a rope to the eye of a needle

To attempt a futile task. A: "I can't believe he thinks that he'll get into law school with his poor grades!" B: "I know, he's really putting a rope to the eye of a needle with that plan."
See also: eye, needle, of, put, rope

thread the needle

1. To insert thread through the eye of a needle. You'll need to thread the needle before you can start sewing.
2. To pass something through a narrow space between two things. The quarterback really threaded the needle with that pass between two defenders.
3. A children's game in which the participants stand in a line and hold hands. The person at the end of the line then ducks under the others' linked arms, pulling the rest of the line along with him or her. Come on, we're playing thread the needle!
See also: needle, thread

be like looking for a needle in a haystack

To be similar to searching for something that is very difficult to locate, especially something small and/or something hidden among similar things. Trying to find my contact lens on the floor was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
See also: haystack, like, look, needle

be on pins and needles

To be anxious and tense. The phrase likely derived from the tingling sensation (called "pins and needles") that occurs when blood flow returns to a numb limb. A: "Why is Carrie pacing?" B: "She's waiting for the doctor to call with her test results, so she's been on pins and needles all day."
See also: and, needle, on, pin

like looking for a needle in a haystack

Fig. engaged in a hopeless search. Trying to find a white glove in the snow is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I tried to find my lost contact lens on the beach, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
See also: haystack, like, look, needle

needle someone about someone or something

to pester or bother someone about someone or something. Please don't needle me about Jane. Stop needling me about eating out.
See also: needle

on pins and needles

Fig. anxious; in suspense. I've been on pins and needles all day, waiting for you to call with the news. We were on pins and needles until we heard that your plane had landed safely.
See also: and, needle, on, pin

pins and needles

Fig. a tingling feeling in some part of one's body, especially the arms and legs. (See also on pins and needles.) I've got pins and needles in my legs. Mary gets pins and needles if she crosses her arms for long.
See also: and, needle, pin

a needle in a haystack

something extremely hard to find It's pretty much a needle in a haystack because these fish are extremely hard to find.
Usage notes: also used in the forms look for a needle in a haystack and find a needle in a haystack
Etymology: based on the idea that it is to almost impossible to find a thin sewing needle in a haystack (a very tall pile of dried grass)
See also: haystack, needle

on pins and needles

worried or excited about something I was on pins and needles until she called to say she had arrived in Istanbul.
See also: and, needle, on, pin

be like looking for a needle in a haystack

to be difficult or impossible to find I don't know how you find anything in your desk, Polly. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.
See also: haystack, like, look, needle

be on pins and needles

  (American & Australian)
to be nervously waiting to see what is going to happen We're on pins and needles waiting to hear whether she got the job.
See also: and, needle, on, pin

have pins and needles

to feel slight, sharp pains in a part of your body when you move it after it has been kept still for a period of time (often + in ) I've been sitting on my leg for the last hour and now I've got pins and needles in my foot.
See also: and, have, needle, pin

needle in a haystack

An item that is very hard or impossible to locate, as in Looking for that screw in Dean's workshop amounts to looking for a needle in a haystack. Originating in the early 1500s, with meadow instead of haystack, this metaphor exists in many other languages as well.
See also: haystack, needle

on pins and needles

Nervously anxious, as in He was on pins and needles, waiting for the test results. The graphic expression pins and needles for the tingling sensation experienced in recovering from numbness was transferred to a feeling of marked mental uneasiness about 1800.
See also: and, needle, on, pin

needle

tv. to annoy someone. Tom is always needling Frank.

needle candy

n. narcotics that are taken by injection. (see also nose (candy).) Max likes needle candy best of all.
See also: candy, needle

on the needle

mod. addicted to injectable drugs. (Drugs.) My sister’s on the needle, and I want to help her.
See also: needle, on

on pins and needles

In a state of tense anticipation.
See also: and, needle, on, pin

vaccinated with a Victrola needle

Someone who chatters incessantly. Victrola, a division of R.C.A. Victor, was a brand of phonograph players. Since phono records were played with needles that picked up the sound vibrations in the record's grooves, to be vaccinated with a Victrola needle, as the joke implied, was to be inoculated with the gift of nonstop gab.
See also: needle, vaccinate

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Tammaratə-MAHR-əEnglish (Rare)
Celestyntse-LES-tinPolish
Berkant-Turkish
CĂTĂLin-Romanian
Toya-American (Hispanic)
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