Can't see the wood for the trees

[jack]

Poll #14402 Can't see the wood for the trees

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 28

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I always assumed "Can't see the wood for the trees" meant

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Can't see the forest because I'm too busy looking at the trees
25 (89.3%)

Can't see what they're made of because I'm too busy looking at the trees
1 (3.6%)

Both at different times
0 (0.0%)

Deliberately ambiguous
1 (3.6%)

As above, but now you mention it, I think differently
0 (0.0%)

Other
2 (7.1%)

Comment:

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I always interpreted this one way, but a friend had always thought of it completely differently, and I realised, I couldn't remember if the times I'd heard it, my interpretation was clearly intended, or was just how I happened to hear it first and then it got stuck in my mind.

Comments

[forestofglory]

I've only ever heard "can't see the forest for the trees" which lines up with your 1st item. Definitely about losing sight of the big picture because you are caught up in the details.

[redbird]

I am used to hearing, and use, "can't see the forest for the trees," which is of course less ambiguous.

[jack]

Google reckoned that "forest" may be more common in the US and "wood" in the UK, which means anyone used to "forest" would, I assume, give the same answer as me. Although that doesn't disprove my friend's experience -- it's possible people _he_ knows have always used it in ambiguous situations, but that fell out of use in one country.

[cheekbones3]

Ha, I use "Can't see the wood for the trees", meaning that the trees are obscuring the view of the wood that I'm told is obvious to see, but is actually what the trees are made of.

I also commonly reverse it ("can't see the trees for the wood") to mean that I'm too engrossed in the detail to see the big picture. Interesting.

[adrian_turtle]

This is the first time I've ever seen "can't see the wood for the trees." I encounter "can't see the forest for the trees" very commonly, and "can't see the trees for the forest" occasionally.