An older English name for this type of structure is a hayrick. In order to monitor the moisture content of the hay it would be tested by poking an iron rod — the proverbial needle — deep into the rick then pulling it out again, much like an oil dipstick in a car engine.
If you push the needle in too far then you would be unlikely to find it again without taking the whole thing apart.
Hence the English phrase like looking for a needle in a haystack to mean searching for something that is impossible to find. It’s just that in the original phrase the needle is a four foot long iron rod rather than a two inch steel pin.
If you push the needle in too far then you would be unlikely to find it again without taking the whole thing apart.
Hence the English phrase like looking for a needle in a haystack to mean searching for something that is impossible to find. It’s just that in the original phrase the needle is a four foot long iron rod rather than a two inch steel pin.