an den Haaren herbeigezogen

German

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Etymology

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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

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Adjective

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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)

  1. (idiomatic) far-fetched; absurd (highly unlikely)
    Synonyms: abwegig; (usually milder) weit hergeholt
    eine an den Haaren herbeigezogene Behauptunga far-fetched claim
    eine an den Haaren herbeigezogene Theoriea highly unlikely theory

Usage notes

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  • Compared forms are usually avoided, but not impossible.

Declension

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