О-56

ДНЁМ С ОГНЁМ не найти, не найдёшь, не сыскать, не сыщешь, поискать и т. п. кого-что or чего coll AdvP Invar adv usu. used with infin or neg pfv fut, gener. 2nd pers sing не найдёшь etc fixed WO

(of a person with remarkable qualities or qualifications, or a thing rarely come across or difficult to obtain) rare, almost impossible to find even when much effort is put into searching: X-a (такого or таких, как X,) днем с огнём не найдёшь - Xs (people like X, things like X) are hard to find ((as) scarce as heris teeth)

never in the world will you find another X (another (NP) like X) try as you may (might) you'll never find another X (another (NP) like X) (in limited contexts) person X is one in a million you can't get thing X for love (n)or money.

«Ну и бедна ж ты бедами, мать! Гляди, как Бог тебя милует. Днём с огнём таких поискать» (Пастернак 1). "Well, you are poor in sorrows, my dear. See how merciful God has been to you! Such as you are hard to find" (1a).

«Баб-то, конечно, по военному времю \ ungrammat = времени) много свободных, -размышлял счетовод, - да такую, как Зинаида, днём с огнем не найдешь» (Войнович 4). Of course, there's lots of women around during wartime, reflected the bookkeeper, but ones like Zinaida are scarce as hen's teeth (4a).

Днем с огнем не сыщешь другого такого человека, который умел бы так держать себя в руках (Искандер 3). Never in the world will you find another man with the self-control that he has (3a).