gnat

down to a gnat's eyebrow

In consideration of the most minute detail. I have planned this itinerary down to a gnat's eyebrow, so we are not deviating from it, even for a minute!See also: down, eyebrow

strain at a gnat

To exaggerate or put too much focus on a minor issue and make it seem like a major one. You got one B and you're acting like you're failing the class. You're straining at a gnat, if you ask me. This is just a minor setback, so let's not strain at a gnat.See also: gnat, strain

strain at a gnat and swallow a camel

To resist, criticize, or bemoan something minor or inconsequential while ignoring or overlooking something much more serious or important. The expression originated in the Bible, in Matthew 23:24. The government is letting the housing crisis spiral out of control while they spend millions trying to catch people who sublet their apartments without paying taxes. Talk about straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel!See also: and, camel, gnat, strain, swallow

strain at gnats and swallow camels

To resist, criticize, or bemoan something minor or inconsequential while ignoring or overlooking something much more serious or important. The expression originated in the Bible, in Matthew 23:24. The government is letting the housing crisis spiral out of control while they spend millions trying to catch people who sublet their apartments without paying taxes. Talk about straining at gnats and swallowing camels!See also: and, camel, gnat, strain, swallow

down to a gnat 's eyebrow

Fig. down to the smallest detail. He described what the thief was wearing down to a gnat's eyebrow. No use trying to sneak anything out of the refrigerator. Mom knows what's in there, down to a gnat's eyebrow.See also: down, eyebrow, gnat

strain at gnats and swallow camels

Prov. to criticize other people for minor offenses while ignoring major offenses. (Biblical.) Jill: Look at that. Edward is combing his hair at his desk. How unprofessional. Jane: Don't strain at gnats and swallow camels. There are worse problems than that around here.See also: and, camel, gnat, strain, swallow

strain at a gnat

LITERARYIf someone strains at a gnat, they concern themselves with something small and unimportant, sometimes failing to deal with something much more important. People worry over tiny differences in the fat content of food while eating huge quantities of sugar. It's a classic case of straining at a gnat. Note: You can also say that someone strains at a gnat and swallows a camel, with the same meaning. One must be wary of straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel. Note: This expression comes from the Bible. Jesus used it when criticizing the scribes and the Pharisees for being too concerned with unimportant areas of the Jewish law. (Matthew 23:24) See also: gnat, strain

strain at a gnat

make a difficulty about accepting something trivial. literary The phrase derives from Matthew 23:24, ‘Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel’. The word strain here appears to mean ‘make a violent effort’, but it may in fact refer to the straining of a liquid to remove unwanted particles: the image is of a person quietly accepting a difficulty or problem of significant proportions while baulking at something comparatively trivial.See also: gnat, strain

gnat

gnat,

common name for any one of a number of small, fragile-looking two-winged flies of the suborder Nematocera, order Diptera, which includes the families Tipulidae (crane fliescrane fly,
true fly resembling a mosquito, often called daddy longlegs because of its six long, delicate legs. (The harvestman, also called daddy longlegs, belongs to an unrelated order.) Most species of crane flies have a single pair of wings and slender bodies.
..... Click the link for more information. ), Bibionidae (hairflies), Ceratopogonidae (biting midgesmidge,
name for any of numerous minute, fragile flies in several families. The family Chironomidae consists of about 2,000 species, most of which are widely distributed. The herbivorous larvae are found in all freshwaters; the larvae of some species live in saltwater.
..... Click the link for more information. ), Chironomidae (true midges), Cecidomyidae (gall midges), Simuliidae (black fliesblack fly,
name for any of the flies of the family Simuliidae. The black fly is about 1-8 in. (3.2 mm) long and has large eyes, short legs, a stout, humped back, broad gauzy wings, and piercing-sucking mouthparts.
..... Click the link for more information. ), Culicidae (mosquitoesmosquito
, small, long-legged insect of the order Diptera, the true flies. The females of most species have piercing and sucking mouth parts and apparently they must feed at least once upon mammalian blood before their eggs can develop properly.
..... Click the link for more information. ), and others. They often assemble together in large mating swarms. In England mosquitoes are called gnats; in the United States it is chiefly the smaller forms of Diptera, especially irritating because of their great numbers and their vicious biting habits, that are referred to as gnats. All gnats have long, hairlike antennae, which are particularly well-developed in the males. Gnat larvae are free-living, most feeding on plants. Larval plant feeders, e.g., the Hessian flyHessian fly,
European gall gnat, Phytophaga destructor, so named because it was first observed in America shortly after the Hessian troops landed on Long Island in the American Revolution. It is one of the most destructive pests of wheat, barley, and rye.
..... Click the link for more information. larvae, cause root, stem, and leaf galls to be formed by the host plant. Some species of fungus gnats (families Mycetophilidae and Sciaridae) are very common pests of mushrooms and roots of potted plants in homes and greenhouses. One group of dipterans (family Chloropidae) of the suborder Cyclorrhapha are commonly called eye gnats, or eye flieseye fly,
common name for a group of small flies of the family Chloropidae. Eye flies are common in parts of California and in the S United States. They inhabit grasslands and meadows and breed mainly on decaying matter and excrement.
..... Click the link for more information. . Gnats are classified in the phylum ArthropodaArthropoda
[Gr.,=jointed feet], largest and most diverse animal phylum. The arthropods include crustaceans, insects, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, scorpions, and the extinct trilobites.
..... Click the link for more information. , class Insecta, order Diptera.

gnat

[nat] (invertebrate zoology) The common name for a large variety of biting insects in the order Diptera.

gnat

chicken-sized insect that tells Alice all about other strange insects. [Br. Lit.: Lewis Carroll Through the Looking-glass]See: Insect

gnat

any of various small fragile biting dipterous insects of the suborder Nematocera, esp Culex pipiens (common gnat), which abounds near stagnant water

Gnat

(language, tool)An Ada compiler written in Ada usingthe gcc code generator to allow easy porting to avariety of platforms. Gnat is the only Ada compiler thatcompletely implements the Ada standard, including all theannexes.

The compiler is released under the GNU license and iscurrently maintained by Ada Core Technologies (ACT).

http://gnat.com/.

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down to a gnat's eyebrow

strain at a gnat

strain at a gnat and swallow a camel

strain at gnats and swallow camels

down to a gnat 's eyebrow

strain at gnats and swallow camels

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Words related to gnat

noun any of various small biting flies: midges

Related Words

noun (British usage) mosquito

Related Words