English-German translations for quicksand

• Treibsand der
  Eine solche besteht überhaupt nicht, und somit ist das Treibsand! This does not exist by any stretch of the imagination and is simply quicksand!
  Die anhaltenden Bemühungen um die politische Union Europas scheinen auf Treibsand gebaut. The relentless attempts to turn Europe into a political unity seem to be built on quicksand.
  Indem sie sich auf ungewisse Statistiken stützt, baut die UN in Bezug auf die Verwirklichung eines Teils der Millenniums-Entwicklungsziele laut Herrn Attaran auf Treibsand. By accepting uncertain statistics as the truth, the UN is building a set of Millennium Objectives on quicksand, according to Mr Attaran.

Definition of quicksand

• Wet sand that things readily sink in, often found near rivers or coasts
• Anything that pulls one down or buries one metaphorically

Examples

• My feet were firmly lodged in the quicksand, and the more I struggled the more I sank into it.
• The quicksands of youth...

Related words

• quicksilver
• quickstep
• quickset
• quicksort
• quickset hedge