Labyrinth of difficulties
Meaning
A situation or problem that is incredibly complex, confusing, and difficult to navigate or escape from.
Origin
The phrase pulls its potent imagery directly from the ancient Greek myth of the Minotaur, confined within the intricate Labyrinth designed by Daedalus for King Minos of Crete. This legendary structure was not merely a maze, but a truly bewildering warren of passages, so complex that escape was deemed impossible without divine aid—or Ariadne's thread. The sheer, terrifying impossibility of finding one's way out of this physical prison quickly became a metaphor for any situation so convoluted and challenging that it feels inescapable. Thus, facing a "labyrinth of difficulties" means confronting a problem as bewildering and overwhelming as the mythical maze itself, demanding extraordinary effort and ingenuity to traverse.
Examples
- Launching the startup became a true labyrinth of difficulties, from securing funding to navigating intricate regulatory hurdles.
- The detective found himself trapped in a labyrinth of difficulties as each new clue only added more layers to the unsolved mystery.