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Are there more idioms, sayings or phrases similar to "needle in a haystack" that are relevant to hidden objects, or difficult to find items?

Also interested in similar nouns relevant to the somewhat oppositional concepts like "needle" and "haystack" or "3-leaf clover" vs. "4-leaf clover" where one object is significantly harder to find.

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There is also No Leaf Clover. – Mehper C. Palavuzlar Mar 9 '11 at 7:51

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4 Answers

up vote 5 down vote

"Looking for a black cat in a coal cellar"?

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That's a new one. Very colourful! – ghoppe Mar 9 '11 at 13:07
Similarly "looking for a white cat (or polar bear, or whatever) in a snowstorm". – user1579 Mar 9 '11 at 13:38
This sounds like a historical phrase, rather than current usage. Like something someone my grandparents generation would say. Interesting nonetheless so +1! – Aequitarum Custos Mar 9 '11 at 16:28
Well, it's been a while since we've had coal cellars... – Malvolio Mar 9 '11 at 16:43
up vote 4 down vote

I have a one-word answer:

Waldo

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up vote 3 down vote

If you take "hard to find" as being "very rare/non-existent" …

"Scarce as hen's teeth."

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up vote -1 down vote

A virgin in a high school.

A snowball in hell.

A drop in the bucket, perhaps?

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5  
Your first one is simply in bad taste, and the next two don't really describe something that is hard to find. "A snowbell in hell" describes a very slim chance of survival, and "a drop in the bucket" refers to an amount or effort that falls far short of a goal. – Robusto Mar 9 '11 at 12:27

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