grasp

grasp at straws: see clutch at straws atstraw.

grasp the nettle tackle a difficulty boldly. British

☞ This expression refers to a belief (recorded from the late 16th century onwards) enshrined in a rhyme quoted in Sean O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock (1925): 'If you gently touch a nettle it'll sting you for your pains; grasp it like a lad of mettle, an' as soft as silk remains'.

2012Independent (Ireland) Labour Senator James Heffernan said it was time for the Government to 'grasp the nettle' by bringing in new abortion legislation.