# make bricks without straw

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/make-bricks-without-straw
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To accomplish a task without the proper materials or under unreasonable conditions; to do the impossible.

## Examples

- I cannot finish this project because I am making bricks without straw.
- The manager expects us to launch the new website by tomorrow, but we are making bricks without straw since we lack the necessary software.
- Tasked with revitalizing the failing department without any additional funding or staff, the new director found herself making bricks without straw.

## Origin

From Exodus 5:18: "Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks." (NIV).

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.