needle in a haystack

/nˈiːdəl ɪn ɐ hˈeɪstak/

/nˈiːdəl ɪn ɐ hˈeɪstæk/

[phrase]

[PHRASE]

a person or thing that is really challenging or almost impossible to find

Examples

1. But if you are looking for a needle in a haystack, adding more hay to the stack isn’t going to make it any easier to find the needle.

2. Deciding on a target based on all this information is like looking for a needle in a haystack, and it’s a lot to ask of our brains.

3. The ships are like tower blocks, the piles of containers go on for kilometres, and if you think that a big load of cocaine is about the size of a wardrobe, it makes it very clear that the old cliche about looking for a needle in a haystack just doesn't come close.

4. It's the needle in a haystack.