"seek a knot in a bulrush" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "nōdum in scirpō quaerō"
      },
      "expansion": "Calque of Latin nōdum in scirpō quaerō",
      "name": "cal"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Calque of Latin nōdum in scirpō quaerō.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "seeks a knot in a bulrush",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seeking a knot in a bulrush",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sought a knot in a bulrush",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sought a knot in a bulrush",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "seek<,,sought> a knot in a bulrush"
      },
      "expansion": "seek a knot in a bulrush (third-person singular simple present seeks a knot in a bulrush, present participle seeking a knot in a bulrush, simple past and past participle sought a knot in a bulrush)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
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        {
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          "source": "w"
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2002, Dr Martin Garrett, Sidney: The Critical Heritage, →ISBN, page 138:",
          "text": "When others, with dirty hands, strive to cleanse these psalms, they seem to seek a knot in a bulrush and (to put the matter in a word) while they polish they pollute.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To find problems where none exist."
      ],
      "id": "en-seek_a_knot_in_a_bulrush-en-verb-K8yDGlpf",
      "links": [
        [
          "problem",
          "problem"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic) To find problems where none exist."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "seek knots in a bulrush"
        },
        {
          "word": "seek knots in bulrushes"
        },
        {
          "word": "look for a knot in a bulrush"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to find problems where none exist",
          "word": "keksiä vikoja"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to find problems where none exist",
          "word": "saivarrella"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to find problems where none exist",
          "word": "chercher midi à quatorze heures"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to find problems where none exist",
          "word": "a kákán is csomót keres"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "to find problems where none exist",
          "word": "căuta nod în papură"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "seek a knot in a bulrush"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "nōdum in scirpō quaerō"
      },
      "expansion": "Calque of Latin nōdum in scirpō quaerō",
      "name": "cal"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Calque of Latin nōdum in scirpō quaerō.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "seeks a knot in a bulrush",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seeking a knot in a bulrush",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sought a knot in a bulrush",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sought a knot in a bulrush",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "seek<,,sought> a knot in a bulrush"
      },
      "expansion": "seek a knot in a bulrush (third-person singular simple present seeks a knot in a bulrush, present participle seeking a knot in a bulrush, simple past and past participle sought a knot in a bulrush)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
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        "English multiword terms",
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        "English terms derived from Latin",
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with Hungarian translations",
        "Terms with Romanian translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2002, Dr Martin Garrett, Sidney: The Critical Heritage, →ISBN, page 138:",
          "text": "When others, with dirty hands, strive to cleanse these psalms, they seem to seek a knot in a bulrush and (to put the matter in a word) while they polish they pollute.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To find problems where none exist."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "problem",
          "problem"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic) To find problems where none exist."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "seek knots in a bulrush"
    },
    {
      "word": "seek knots in bulrushes"
    },
    {
      "word": "look for a knot in a bulrush"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to find problems where none exist",
      "word": "keksiä vikoja"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to find problems where none exist",
      "word": "saivarrella"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to find problems where none exist",
      "word": "chercher midi à quatorze heures"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to find problems where none exist",
      "word": "a kákán is csomót keres"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "to find problems where none exist",
      "word": "căuta nod în papură"
    }
  ],
  "word": "seek a knot in a bulrush"
}