What does wood for the trees mean?

British. : to not understand or appreciate a larger situation, problem, etc., because one is considering only a few parts of it.
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What is the wood for the trees?

If someone can't see the wood for the trees in British English, or can't see the forest for the trees in American English, they are very involved in the details of something and so they do not notice what is important about the thing as a whole.
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Who said can't see the wood for the trees?

Focusing on small details makes one overlook the large picture. John Heywood's proverb collection in 1546 has it, “Ye cannot see the wood for the trees.” A modern twist was provided by C. S.
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What is the meaning of this phrase the trees?

To say the idiom cannot see the forest for the trees means that a person or organization cannot see the big picture because the focus is too much on the details.
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Can't see the wood for the trees idiom origin?

The origin is actually from a place called Bath, in England. It refers to a concourse of houses that were designed by the architect John Wood. There was a tree planted directly in front of these houses, and it grew quite large. So people began to exclaim: "You can't see the Wood for the tree!"
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Seeing the wood for the trees



What does it mean when someone says you can't see the forest for the trees?

An expression used of someone who is too involved in the details of a problem to look at the situation as a whole: “The congressman became so involved in the wording of his bill that he couldn't see the forest for the trees; he did not realize that the bill could never pass.”
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What is the opposite of can't see the forest for the trees?

For me, the word that comes to mind is "hypermetropia".
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What does stay out of the trees mean?

crazy or behaving very strangely, sometimes as a result of drinking alcohol. It was obvious they had been drinking. They were both out of their tree. Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary.
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What is jumping the gun?

Start doing something too soon, act too hastily. For example, The local weather bureau jumped the gun on predicting a storm; it didn't happen for another two days. This expression alludes to starting a race before the starter's gun has gone off, and supplants the earlier beat the pistol, which dates from about 1900. [
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What does taking the bull by the horns mean?

: to deal with a difficult situation in a very direct or confident way She decided to take the bull by the horns and try to solve the problem without any further delay.
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What does are you trying to hold this wood mean?

Definitions include: to get an erection.
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Can of Worms meaning?

Definition of open a can of worms

: to create a complicated situation in which doing something to correct a problem leads to many more problems Our boss is reluctant to change the policy now because she doesn't want to open a can of worms.
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Who said if you do not know the trees you may be lost in the forest but if you do not know the stories you may be lost in life?

It appears in a Renaissance proverb collection written by John Heywood, published in London in 1546. It might have been in verbal circulation before then, of course, but it's at least 474 years old.
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What does it mean to take 5?

US, informal. : to take a brief break (as from work) They're locked in a fierce debate over the last scene of their film … when camp director and Hollywood veteran Sam Dalton finally orders them to take five.—
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What does hangs by a thread mean?

Definition of hang by a thread

: to be in a very dangerous situation or state : to be very close to death, failure, etc.
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What is the meaning get one's feet wet?

Definition of get one's feet wet

: to begin doing a new job, activity, etc., in usually a slow and simple way in order to become more familiar with it She got her feet wet at her new job by doing some simple filing tasks.
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When it rain it pours meaning?

Definition of when it rains, it pours

—used to say that when something bad happens other bad things usually happen at the same time The team not only lost the game but three of its best players were injured. When it rains, it pours.
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What does put paid mean?

to bring (an event) to a natural or appropriate stopping point. The final payment put paid to his debt obligations.
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What happens when a tree dies?

It can take up to 100 years or more for wood to decompose, depending on the species and forest type. When a tree dies naturally or falls due to extreme weather events, new life springs forward. Fungi communities flourish on dead wood, salamanders create breeding grounds, and saplings grow on the nutrient-rich bark.
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Is it forest for the trees or trees for the forest?

you can't see the forest because you are standing in the middle of it, with the trees, up close and personal, all around you. so, because "for" means "because of," you "can't see the forest for the trees." “can't see the trees for the forest.”
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Is it forest through the trees?

Urban Dictionary defines the expression to mean someone is so simple minded that they can't figure out the simplest problems. Their minds are like great big empty voids of any kind of logical thought. This is why even though they can see the trees their simple minds can't grasp that's the forest.
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What we can see in forest?

In forest we can able to see wild animals. Greenary nature,many plants,trees, shrubs, herbs etc ..... We can also see different types of birds,reptiles etc....
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What is the meaning of no one's cup of tea?

If something is not your cup of tea, it is not the type of thing that you like: Thanks for inviting me, but ballet isn't really my cup of tea. Not liking. abhor. abide.
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What does it mean to get long in the tooth?

Getting on in years, old, as in Aunt Aggie's a little long in the tooth to be helping us move. This expression alludes to a horse's gums receding with age and making the teeth appear longer. [ Mid-1800s]
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What does put one's finger on something?

C2. to discover the exact reason why a situation is the way it is, especially when something is wrong: There's something odd about him, but I can't quite put my finger on it.
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