turnip
fall off the turnip truck
To be gullible, naïve, or unsophisticated. The subject is often a person from a rural or rustic background. Mary has no idea about how to act in polite society, always behaving as if she just fell off the turnip truck.
See also: fall, off, truck, turnip
like getting blood from a turnip
Impossible or extremely difficult to accomplish. Good luck getting a group of toddlers to sit still—it's like getting blood from a turnip. A: "Why don't you ask your dad for the money?" B: "Because getting my dad to lend money is like getting blood from a turnip."
See also: blood, get, like, turnip
like getting blood out of a stone
Impossible or extremely difficult to accomplish. Good luck getting a group of toddlers to sit still—it's like getting blood out of a stone. A: "Why don't you ask your dad for the money?" B: "Because getting my dad to lend money is like getting blood out of a stone."
See also: blood, get, like, of, out, stone
like getting blood out of a turnip
Impossible or extremely difficult to accomplish. Good luck getting a group of toddlers to sit still—it's like getting blood out of a turnip. A: "Why don't you ask your dad for the money?" B: "Because getting my dad to lend money is like getting blood out of a turnip."
See also: blood, get, like, of, out, turnip
you can't get blood from a turnip
proverb It is impossible to obtain something from someone if they are too parsimonious, uncharitable, or resolved against it. I've tried everything to get my toddler to eat vegetables, but you can't get blood from a turnip. I give up. Good luck trying to get Dad to give you the money. You can't get blood from a turnip. If you think I'll give you the information you're looking for, you're sorely mistaken! You can't get blood from a turnip!
See also: blood, get, turnip
you can't get blood out of a turnip
It's pointless trying to achieve something that is already impossible. Good luck getting a group of toddlers to sit still—you can't get blood out of a turnip, you know. A: "Why don't you ask your dad for the money?" B: "Because you can't get blood out of a turnip."
See also: blood, get, of, out, turnip
you can't squeeze blood from a turnip
proverb It is impossible to obtain something from someone if they are too parsimonious, uncharitable, or resolved against it. I've tried everything to get my toddler to eat vegetables, but you can't squeeze blood from a turnip. I give up. Good luck trying to get Dad to give you the money. You can't squeeze blood from a turnip. If you think I'll give you the information you're looking for, you're sorely mistaken! You can't squeeze blood from a turnip!
See also: blood, squeeze, turnip
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
just fell off the turnip truck
Rur. ignorant; unsophisticated. He stood there gawking at the buildings in town like he just fell off the turnip truck. My cousin acts like she just fell off the turnip truck.
See also: fell, just, off, truck, turnip
You cannot get blood from a stone.
and You cannot get blood from a turnip.Prov. You cannot get help from an uncharitable person or money from someone who has none. Jerry and James spent two hours trying to convince the old miser to contribute to the children's hospital; finally, James turned to Jerry and said in disgust, "This is hopeless. We can't get blood from a stone." The government can't increase taxes any further—nobody has the money! You can't get blood from a turnip.
See also: blood, cannot, get, stone
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
like getting blood out of a stone
BRITISH orlike getting blood out of a turnip
AMERICANIf you say something is like getting blood out of a stone, you mean it is extremely difficult to persuade someone to give you money or information. Getting a response from Pritchard's office was like getting blood out of a stone. Note: You can also say like getting blood from a stone or like getting blood from a turnip. Getting money back from the seller is like getting blood from a stone.
See also: blood, get, like, of, out, stone
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
like getting blood out of (or from) a stone
extremely difficult and frustrating.A North American variant of this expression is like getting blood out of a turnip .
See also: blood, get, like, of, out, stone
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
blood from a stone/turnip, one can't get
This is a hopeless source of help (money, comfort, and so forth). Both stone and turnip date from the nineteenth century, and other versions exist in numerous languages. Dickens used the stone analogy a number of times, in David Copperfield, Our Mutual Friend, and other works, and health-food trends notwithstanding, it is more common today than turnip. However, Clive Cussler had the latter in Sahara (1992): “‘You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip,’ said Giordino. ‘It’s a miracle we made it this far.’”
See also: blood, get, one, stone
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- fall off the cabbage truck
- fall off the turnip truck
- just fell off the turnip truck
- greenhorn
- a babe in arms
- babe in arms
- babe in the woods
- babes in the wood
- a babe in the woods
- I wasn't born yesterday