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Phrase(s): not able to see the forest for the trees
Cliché allowing many details of a situation to obscure the situation as a whole. (Not able to is often expressed as can’t.) • The solution is obvious. You missed it because you can’t see the forest for the trees. • She suddenly realized that she hadn’t been able to see the forest for the trees.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs