"cut the Gordian knot" meaning in All languages combined

See cut the Gordian knot on Wiktionary

Verb [English]

Audio: En-us-cut the Gordian knot.oga Forms: cuts the Gordian knot [present, singular, third-person], cutting the Gordian knot [participle, present], cut the Gordian knot [participle, past], cut the Gordian knot [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|cut<,,cut> the Gordian knot}} cut the Gordian knot (third-person singular simple present cuts the Gordian knot, present participle cutting the Gordian knot, simple past and past participle cut the Gordian knot)
  1. (intransitive) To solve a seemingly intractable problem by using a simple solution that is unconstrained by the assumptions that underpin the usual attempts to solve that problem. Tags: intransitive Related terms: Hobson's choice Translations (Translations): 快刀斬亂麻 (Chinese Mandarin), rozetnout gordický uzel (Czech), avata Gordionin solmu (Finnish), trancher le nœud gordien (French)
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          "ref": "1828, Walter Scott, chapter II, in My Aunt Margaret's Mirror:",
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        "To solve a seemingly intractable problem by using a simple solution that is unconstrained by the assumptions that underpin the usual attempts to solve that problem."
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      "id": "en-cut_the_Gordian_knot-en-verb-UuYaf-Pl",
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        "(intransitive) To solve a seemingly intractable problem by using a simple solution that is unconstrained by the assumptions that underpin the usual attempts to solve that problem."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "Hobson's choice"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
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        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "快刀斬亂麻"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "note": "快刀斩乱麻 (kuàidāo zhǎn luànmá, literally “To cut tangled hemp with a sharp blade”)",
          "sense": "Translations"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "rozetnout gordický uzel"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "avata Gordionin solmu"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "trancher le nœud gordien"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "note": "快刀乱麻を断つ (kaitō ranma o tatsu, literally “To cut tangled hemp with a sharp blade”)",
          "sense": "Translations"
        }
      ]
    }
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      ],
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        "To solve a seemingly intractable problem by using a simple solution that is unconstrained by the assumptions that underpin the usual attempts to solve that problem."
      ],
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        "(intransitive) To solve a seemingly intractable problem by using a simple solution that is unconstrained by the assumptions that underpin the usual attempts to solve that problem."
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      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "快刀斬亂麻"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "note": "快刀斩乱麻 (kuàidāo zhǎn luànmá, literally “To cut tangled hemp with a sharp blade”)",
      "sense": "Translations"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "rozetnout gordický uzel"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "avata Gordionin solmu"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "trancher le nœud gordien"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "note": "快刀乱麻を断つ (kaitō ranma o tatsu, literally “To cut tangled hemp with a sharp blade”)",
      "sense": "Translations"
    }
  ],
  "word": "cut the Gordian knot"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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