seek

hide and seek

A situation in which one party is constantly evading or avoiding another. (A reference to the children's game "hide and go seek.") Often used with the verb "play." The police have been playing hide and seek with the suspect all night long. It's been a game of hide and seek trying to get definitive answers out of the governor.

seek a knot in a bulrush

To engage in a futile task; to try to find problems where none exist. A bulrush is a grassy plant that is not prone to knots. You'd have better luck seeking a knot in a bulrush than getting those flowers to grow on such rocky soil. I read the report so many times that the boss will be seeking a knot in a bulrush to try to find errors in it.

in quest of someone or something

and in search of someone or something

seeking or hunting something; trying to find something. They went into town in quest of a reasonably priced restaurant. Monday morning I'll go out in search of a job.

*on the trail (of someone or something)

and *on the track of someone or something

seeking someone or something; about to find someone or something. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) I'm on the trail of a new can opener that is supposed to be easier to use. I spent all morning on the track of a vendor who can meet our requirements.

seek after someone or something

to keep looking for someone or something. I will continue to seek after the thief who stole my car. The thief was seeking after a late-model sedan.

Seek and ye shall find.

Prov. If you search hard enough for something, you will find it. (Biblical. Can imply that the only thing you need to do to get something is look for it.) The bookstore on the corner is an excellent one. Any book you want, just seek and ye shall find.

seek professional help

Euph. to get psychiatric or psychological treatment. If you are seriously thinking of suicide, now is the time to seek professional help. His friends suggested that he seek professional help.

seek revenge

(against someone) Go to take revenge (against someone).

seek someone or something out

to search for and find someone or something. We will seek someone out to do the work for us. Liz sought out a helper for Karen.

seek something from someone or something

to pursue something from someone or something. We will seek an injunction from the judge. My lawyer sought an injunction from the court to try to stop the building project.

take revenge (against someone)

and seek revenge (against someone); get revenge against someone; take revenge (on someone) (for something)

to get even with someone. Linda planned to take revenge against Ellen. I intend to take revenge on Paul for what he did. I will not seek revenge.

birds of a feather (flock together)

Individuals of like character, taste, or background (tend to stay together), as in The members of the club had no trouble selecting their yearly outing-they're all birds of a feather . The idea of like seeks like dates from ancient Greek times, and "Birds dwell with their kind" was quoted in the apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus. The full saying in English, Birds of a feather flock together, was first recorded in 1545.

play hide and seek

Evade or seem to evade someone. For example, Bill is hard to pin down-he's always playing hide and seek. This expression alludes to the children's game in which one player tries to find others who are hiding. It has been used figuratively since the mid-1600s.

seek out

To try to locate or discover someone or something: The fish sought out sheltered pools to lay their eggs. The teacher will only give help to those who seek it out.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Doherty	['dəuəti:]
Bryson	['braisn]
Biaggio	-	Italian (Rare)
Nacio	NAH-thyo (Spanish), NAH-syo (Latin American Spanish)	Spanish
Yahya	-	Arabic, Turkish, Persian
Melor	-	Russian