cut the Gordian knot

Related to cut the Gordian knot: Alexandrian solution

cut the Gordian knot

To solve a very challenging or daunting problem decisively. The phrase likely alludes to Gordius, the king of Phrygia, who tied a knot that an oracle proclaimed would only be cut by the future ruler of Asia. Alexander the Great allegedly cut the Gordian knot in one blow. A: "Wait, Matt already solved that impossible equation?" B: "Yes! I have no idea how he did it, but he sure cut the Gordian knot."
See also: cut, Gordian, knot
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

cut the Gordian knot

LITERARY
If someone cuts the Gordian knot, they deal with a difficult situation in a quick, forceful and effective way. Mr Sandler cut the Gordian knot that was strangling the market. Note: Verbs such as break, untie and untangle are sometimes used instead of cut. Which country should make the first move to untie the Gordian knot? Note: Gordian knot is used to describe a problem that is very difficult to solve. The federal deficit has become the Gordian knot of Washington. He found himself tied up in a real emotional Gordian Knot. Note: According to an ancient legend, Gordius, the king of Phrygia, tied a knot that nobody could untie. It was said that if anyone untied it, they would become the next ruler of Asia. When Alexander the Great heard this, he solved the problem by cutting through the knot with a sword.
See also: cut, Gordian, knot
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

cut the Gordian knot

solve or remove a problem in a direct or forceful way, rejecting gentler or more indirect methods.
The knot referred to is that with which Gordius, king of ancient Phrygia (in Asia Minor), fastened the yoke of his wagon to the pole. Its complexity was such that it gave rise to the legend that whoever could undo it would become the ruler of Asia. When Alexander the Great passed that way en route to conquer the East he is said simply to have severed the knot with his sword.
See also: cut, Gordian, knot
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

cut/untie the ˌGordian ˈknot

solve a very difficult or complicated problem with forceful action: Will the negotiators be able to untie the Gordian knot?This expression comes from the legend in which King Gordius tied a very complicated knot and said that whoever untied it would become the ruler of Asia. Alexander the Great cut through the knot with his sword.
See also: cut, Gordian, knot
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

cut the Gordian knot, to

To get out of trouble by taking a single decisive step. According to legend, Gordius, a peasant who became king of Phrygia, dedicated his wagon to the god Jupiter and tied the yoke to a tree with such a difficult knot that no one could unfasten it. Alexander the Great was told that whoever could untie the wagon would rule all Asia, whereupon he simply cut the knot with his sword. Many writers have alluded to this myth, among them Shakespeare (“Turn him to any cause of policy, the Gordian Knot of it he will unloose”), in HenryV (1.1). It has been a cliché since about 1800 but is seldom heard today.
See also: cut, Gordian
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • cut the Gordian knot, to
  • cut/untie the Gordian knot
  • Gordian
  • be pushing up (the) daisies
  • be pushing up daisies
  • be pushing up the daisies
  • answer the bell
  • be in the Land of Nod
  • be straining at the leash
  • Abraham
References in periodicals archive
To end a conflict in the Japanese Diet...Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday cut the Gordian knot by sacking his foreign minister of nine months, Makiko Tanaka.
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Where others had tried and failed for 40 years, Bruce Babbitt had cut the Gordian knot.
The poker player; as a governor, Bruce Babbitt was not only smart, he was effective
Emissaries of international fora like the Commonwealth and the United Nations had failed to cut the Gordian knot stemming from confrontational political standoff over electoral disputes, not to speak of ineffectual crisis-resolution efforts of local go-betweens.
Pre-poll politics increasingly gets complicated
The dramatic round up of "the usual suspects" shows that the new leadership in Riyadh is ready to cut the Gordian Knot with a hard blow.
Saudi is right in cracking the whip on Hezbollah
In Greek legend, who cut the Gordian knot? A Perseus B Alexander C Jason D Heracles 10.
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Given the slight impasse we had over the region list selections [when there was a clash within the party over whether they should be selected by a committee or by the votes of all members] which ended when I cut the Gordian knot and let the members vote, and given what I have said about democracy going up and delegates going down, that may give you a clue as to what I'm thinking."
'Farage will stop Hamilton in Assembly group leader bid'
PRESIDENT Nicos Anastasiades said last night the return of the fenced area of Famagusta (Varosha) was a priority and not a slogan, and is perhaps "the knife that will cut the Gordian Knot" of the Cyprus problem.
Call for return of Varosha is not a slogan, Anastasiades says
"Given the slight impasse we had over the region list selections [when there was a clash within the party over whether they should be selected by a committee or by the votes of all members], which ended when I cut the Gordian knot and let the members vote, and given what I have said about democracy going up and delegates going down, that may give you a clue as to what I'm thinking."
I will block Hamilton leading Ukip in Assembly, vows Farage
However, after originally promising this legislation by the end of 2008, only recently did the Minister of the Interior boast that he had finally cut the Gordian Knot, his oft-used phrase for this mess, by getting certain bills passed by parliament," said CPAG's O'Hare.
Property buyers plan flood of complaints
According to legend who cut the Gordian knot with his sword?
TEABREAK TEASERS
Which soldier was said to have cut the Gordian Knot? 2.
QUIZ OF THE DAY
My colleagues and I cut the Gordian knot and pulled them down.
No surprise flats are coming down; VOICE OF THE NORTH
This is critical for a negotiation process that is meant to be 'Cypriot' and so less reliant on third party mediation than previous attempts to cut the Gordian Knot that is the Cyprus problem.
Small steps will make a big difference