how long is a piece of string?
US /haʊ lɔŋ ɪz ə piːs əv strɪŋ/
UK /haʊ lɔŋ ɪz ə piːs əv strɪŋ/

1.
used to say that it is impossible to give a precise answer to a question, because the answer depends on too many unknown factors
:
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When asked how long the project would take, the manager replied, "How long is a piece of string?"
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Trying to predict the exact outcome is like asking, "How long is a piece of string?" There are too many variables.