as in hot water
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Recent Examples of Gordian knot
The new mayor is also looking to reform the city’s property-tax system, a Gordian knot that no mayor has been able to successfully untangle, which would help reduce landlords’ costs.
—
Clio Chang, Curbed, 30 Jan. 2026
The decisive opportunity—and the most formidable challenge—resides within the Gordian knot of healthcare operations.
—Sahar Hashmi, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
This week thrust onto center stage the Gordian knot confronting Trump and congressional Republicans.
—Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
If there’s a way to cut this Gordian knot, Pelly hasn’t found it, but then, neither has anyone else.
—Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 16 Jan. 2025
Nuclear power has gained momentum this year as a possible solution to this Gordian knot.
—Rob Toews, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
Then sit back and watch the Swifties unleash their fury and tear to shreds the Gordian knot that was once catastrophic global warming.
—Ivan Ehlers, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2023
Essentially, by plugging the equations of the Standard Model into powerful computers, researchers can numerically approximate the mess of hadronic blobs, cutting through the subatomic Gordian knot.
—Daniel Garisto, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2023
Here's the thing: 1) Over two years of international pandemic have tied us all--students and teachers (and yes, bureaucrats)--into social and mental Gordian knots.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2023
Clio Chang, Curbed, 30 Jan. 2026
The decisive opportunity—and the most formidable challenge—resides within the Gordian knot of healthcare operations.
—Sahar Hashmi, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
This week thrust onto center stage the Gordian knot confronting Trump and congressional Republicans.
—Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
If there’s a way to cut this Gordian knot, Pelly hasn’t found it, but then, neither has anyone else.
—Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 16 Jan. 2025
Nuclear power has gained momentum this year as a possible solution to this Gordian knot.
—Rob Toews, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
Then sit back and watch the Swifties unleash their fury and tear to shreds the Gordian knot that was once catastrophic global warming.
—Ivan Ehlers, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2023
Essentially, by plugging the equations of the Standard Model into powerful computers, researchers can numerically approximate the mess of hadronic blobs, cutting through the subatomic Gordian knot.
—Daniel Garisto, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2023
Here's the thing: 1) Over two years of international pandemic have tied us all--students and teachers (and yes, bureaucrats)--into social and mental Gordian knots.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Gordian knot
Noun
-
Rinse it in hot water (using soap if needed) and hang the squeegee to dry in minutes.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2026
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Numerous tenants complained of going days without hot water during the most severe cold snap of the winter, and photos from the complex show sheets of ice on some walls and a ceiling collapsed on cars in a garage.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The real crux of the outrage against Spilsbury was her endorsement of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the November presidential election.—
Maritza Dominguez,
AZCentral.com,
4 Nov. 2025
-
That’s another crux of the problem: Wages haven’t kept up with home prices.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Of philosophy’s many sticky wickets, consciousness is perhaps the most perplexing.—
Kevin Dickinson,
Big Think,
20 Aug. 2025
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To that, timestamps may prove a sticky wicket for a part of Baldoni’s argument against the Times.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gordian knot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Gordian%20knot. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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