blood out of a stone

Meaning

This idiom is used to describe a situation where it is extremely difficult to get something from someone, such as money, information, or help. It implies that the person you are asking is uncooperative, stubborn, or simply has nothing to give. It is almost always used as a comparison, typically with 'like trying to get'.

Examples

• Trying to get my brother to pay back the ten dollars he owes me is like getting blood out of a stone.

  Trying to get my brother to pay back the ten dollars he owes me is like getting blood out of a stone.

• The police tried to question the suspect, but getting any information out of him was like getting blood out of a stone.

  The police tried to question the suspect, but getting any information out of him was like getting blood out of a stone.

• Ask him for a compliment? Good luck, that's like squeezing blood out of a stone.

  Ask him for a compliment? Good luck, that's like squeezing blood out of a stone.

• Getting a straight answer from the customer service department is like trying to get blood out of a stone.

  Getting a straight answer from the customer service department is like trying to get blood out of a stone.

• We need more funding, but asking the committee for money is like getting blood out of a stone.

  We need more funding, but asking the committee for money is like getting blood out of a stone.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ It is like getting blood from a rock.

  ✓ It is like getting blood out of a stone.

  While 'blood from a stone' is also common, 'blood from a rock' is a non-standard variation that sounds unnatural to native English speakers.

• ✗ He squeezed blood out of a stone and finally bought a car.

  ✓ Getting him to spend money is like squeezing blood out of a stone.

  The idiom is used metaphorically to describe the extreme difficulty of an action. It should not be used to describe a successful literal action.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Trying to get him to talk about his feelings is like getting ___.

  💡 Think of trying to extract liquid from a hard, dry object.

  Show answer

  blood out of a stone

• Asking management for a budget increase is like trying to squeeze ___.

  💡 It is an idiom about getting something from a very uncooperative source.

  Show answer

  blood out of a stone