be clutching at straws
be grasping at straws

We'd done nothing wrong and had everything we needed - they were clutching at straws.

It might be clutching at straws, but he needed this woman.

"You probably think I am clutching at straws," the chief psychologist ended.

"George is clutching at straws," she'd say and on would go the straw hat.

Fear was back in his face and he was clutching at straws.

He knew he was clutching at straws with such a notion.

But even as the thought occurred to her, she knew that she was clutching at straws.

Green ponds should not be a problem now, but come next summer, you may be clutching at straws.

The oil companies are clutching at straws in places like the Falklands and the arctic.

Just on the plump side of beautiful, if you were clutching at straws to find something to criticise.

He was clutching at straws - and missing!

She knew she was clutching at straws but nothing would get her up the West End.

Polly, you really are clutching at straws now.

Meaning the man was clutching at straws.

"To be honest, I was clutching at straws."

A notoriously poor loser, the Frenchman was clutching at straws that weren't even there.

If the attitude jets had fired accidentally - I was clutching at straws - the light showed on none of the films.

The investigating team had been clutching at straws to explain Sarah's behavior, and I wasn't doing much better.

Then she realized with a chill that in thinking that, she, too, might be clutching at straws.

'Maybe I am clutching at straws, scraping the bottom of the barrel?

She laughed at herself at that thought, knowing full well she was clutching at straws.

"Emily," said Addison gently, "you are clutching at straws and you know it.

Brognola was clutching at straws, partly to placate April's concern as they considered the conflict to come.

'Hope' is clutching at straws.

The Attorney General, Robert A. Marks, had been clutching at straws as he sought ways to prove compelling state interest.

They were grasping at straws, and the Head admitted it.

Jay made no comment although he felt she was grasping at straws.

He was grasping at straws of logic and hoped she could not sense that.

Blade hoped so, but realized he was grasping at straws.

Perhaps for now they are grasping at straws, but will eventually set their feet upon the proper path.

Let's face it, I was grasping at straws now.

The exporting companies say Coke is grasping at straws to drive them out of business.

Kirk felt as if he were grasping at straws.

You can really tell the Apple haters are grasping at straws here.

"They are grasping at straws to find something to criticize us about, when it's basically an endorsement of our policy."

Even as he spoke, Jeffrey knew he was grasping at straws.

His own questions made him impatient, because they only underlined that he was grasping at straws.

I wondered if this, too, was grasping at straws.

Perhaps he was grasping at straws, desperate for any positive news at all.

He may be grasping at straws, but I've no doubt he'll carry out his threat."

I was grasping at straws and full of fear, forgetting everything else I had told her for the past 23 years.

"I know it sounds preposterous, but we were grasping at straws," said Collins.

She suppressed a voice of doubt, one that said she was grasping at straws.

It's kind of sad to see someone as great as he was to be grasping at straws."

One suggested that he was grasping at straws.

Alan Schwartz, another prominent entertainment lawyer, said the other side was grasping at straws.

She'd been grasping at straws, struggling with decisions she wouldn't truly know the outcome of.

Scot knew he was grasping at straws, but he tried anyway.

I had this sudden sinking feeling that I was grasping at straws.

"She expected it, but she was grasping at straws."