an den Haaren herbeigezogen
German edit
Etymology edit
Past participle of an den Haaren herbeiziehen (literally “to drag along by the hair”), in the sense of “to force” as in forced (“not natural, contrived”). Compare the same idiom in several European languages.
Pronunciation edit
Audio (file)
Adjective edit
an den Haaren herbeigezogen (strong nominative masculine singular an den Haaren herbeigezogener, comparative an den Haaren herbeigezogener or mehr an den Haaren herbeigezogen, superlative am meisten an den Haaren herbeigezogen)
- (idiomatic) far-fetched; absurd (highly unlikely)
- Synonyms: abwegig; (usually milder) weit hergeholt
- eine an den Haaren herbeigezogene Behauptung ― a far-fetched claim
- eine an den Haaren herbeigezogene Theorie ― a highly unlikely theory
Usage notes edit
- Compared forms are usually avoided, but not impossible.
Declension edit
Positive forms of an den Haaren herbeigezogen
Comparative forms of an den Haaren herbeigezogen
Superlative forms of an den Haaren herbeigezogen