seek a knot in a bulrush

• seek knots in a bulrush
• seek knots in bulrushes
• look for a knot in a bulrush

Calque of Latin nōdum in scirpō quaerō.

seek a knot in a bulrush (third-person singular simple present seeks a knot in a bulrush, present participle seeking a knot in a bulrush, simple past and past participle sought a knot in a bulrush)

1. (archaic) To find problems where none exist.
   • 2002, Dr Martin Garrett, Sidney: The Critical Heritage‎, →ISBN, page 138:

     When others, with dirty hands, strive to cleanse these psalms, they seem to seek a knot in a bulrush and (to put the matter in a word) while they polish they pollute.