| 词汇 | square the circle |
| 释义 | Idiom square the circle to find a good solution to a problem when that seems impossible, especially because the people involved have very different needs or opinions about it.Few poor countries can afford to look after their works of art properly, but neglect is unwise if you want to attract tourists. Thailand is attempting to square the circle. square the circleTo solve, or attempt to solve, an impossible (or seemingly impossible) problem or situation. I'm not sure what to tell you, but if you take that issue to the boss, I bet he'll be able to square the circle. square the circleTry to do the impossible, as in Getting that bill through the legislature is the same as trying to square the circle. This idiom alludes to the impossibility of turning a circle into a square. John Donne may have been the first to use it ( Sermons, 1624): "Go not thou about to square either circle (God or thyself)." square the circleCOMMON If you try to square the circle, you try to solve a problem that seems to be impossible to solve. All have the same hope: that foreign markets and, especially, foreign investment will somehow provide enough jobs to square the circle. square the circledo something that is considered to be impossible.In its literal sense, square the circle means ‘construct a square equal in area to a given circle’. Since this problem is incapable of a purely geometrical solution, the phrase has developed a more general application and is used to refer to an attempt to do something impossible. square the ˈcircle(try to) do something that is or seems impossible: The Government is trying to square the circle when it says it will spend more on the health service without raising taxes.This is a mathematical task that was considered impossible, involving making a square exactly equal in area to a particular circle. |
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