By pretending to know the difference between good and evil we all don\’t see
the moving Birnam Wood for the trees … \»
Lady Macbeth
Birnam Wood…By pretending to know the difference between good and evil we all don\’t see
the moving Birnam Wood for the trees … \»
Lady Macbeth
Birnam Wood is a moveable feast of justice … \»
Ernest Hemingway
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see the forest for the trees
not see the wood for the trees
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(idiomatic, in the negative, by extension)
To be overwhelmed by detail to the point where it obscures the overall situation
Usage notes This is almost always used in negative constructions, often starting with can\’t, as it is a negative polarity item.
den Wald vor lauter Baeumen nicht sehen
не ви;деть ле;са за дере;вьями
***
not see the forest for the trees
not see the wood for the trees
to pay too much attention to details and not understand the general situation
Company officials were so involved in the talks, they couldn\’t see the forest for the trees and didn\’t realize their employees were willing to strike.
See also: forest, see, tree
Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003. Reproduced with permission.
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See also:
big picture
bigger fish to fry
bird\’s-eye view
gestalt
gist
grand scheme
overview
not be able to connect the dots ( Y.S.)
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http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/Birnam-Wood
Birnam Wood
the wood near Birnam in Perthshire, Scotland. In Shakespeare\’s play \’Macbeth\’, Macbeth is told that he will only be defeated when Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Later, his enemy\’s army comes through Birnam Wood and each soldier cuts a large branch to hide himself, so that when the army moves on it looks as if the wood is moving. Macbeth is defeated and killed.
