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I'm trying to find an idiomatic expression that discards the importance of little details for seeing at the big picture. In Spanish we have a saying that goes something like "Sometimes the trees do not let us see the forest." I was wondering if there is a similar expression that's used in written English.

aaragon
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1 Answers1

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In English you have:

can't see the wood for the trees:

Cannot see, understand, or focus on a situation in its entirety due to being preoccupied with minor details.

  • The way he's obsessing over one doorknob when we're renovating the entire house makes me think that he can't see the wood for the trees.

(The Free Dictionary)

Community
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user 66974
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  • In US English I think this is more often can't see the forest* for the trees. Wood* cisatlantically tends to signify the product. – StoneyB on hiatus Jan 08 '18 at 14:50
  • So which one is it? Can't see the wood for the trees, or can't see the forest for the trees? – aaragon Jan 08 '18 at 15:00
  • OP apparently first asks for an expression speaking about ignoring, not being preoccupied with, the minor details. / Giving the virtual word-for-word translation of a gloss isnot really ELU standard. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 08 '18 at 15:19
  • @EdwinAshworth - you are just getting it wrong, read the Spanish translation. – user 66974 Jan 08 '18 at 15:21
  • Use wood for BrE and forest for AmE. Alternatitvely, just use forest since it would be understood by a BrE speaker. – Mick Jan 08 '18 at 15:21
  • If one assumes that OP wants 'an expression addressing a situation where focusing on minor details prevents one seeing the big picture', as their second statement (but not their first) implies, this was answered on ELU 7+ years ago. Easily ascertained by checking for 'wood + trees'. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 08 '18 at 15:28