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Failure - Wastefulness

Explore English idioms that relate to wastefulness, including "bark at the moon" and "toing and froing".

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English idioms related to Failure

to feel upset or regretful about something that has already happened and cannot be undone

Ex: My favorite vase fell and broke, but there's no sense in crying over spilled milk.I'll find a way to repair it or get a new one.
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to do good things and waste valuable resources for ungrateful people

Ex: The teacher put a lot of effort into preparing an engaging lesson, but her students were more interested in chatting and playing on their phones.She felt like she was casting pearls before swine.
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(of a business) to reach a point that yields no success due to the profit being almost as equal as the costs

Ex: The business plan was designed to break even within six months.
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to try hard yet achieve very little or nothing at all

Ex: The politician keeps making promises that he can't keep, and his constituents are getting frustrated with him.He's just chasing his own tail.
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to avoid wasting one's time and energy by not trying to persuade or convince someone who is unlikely to change their opinion or behavior

Ex: Save your breath, Tom.There's no way they'll agree to the deal.
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to try to prevent something bad from happening after it has already happened

Ex: The school implemented a strict anti-bullying policy after several students had already been victimized.It was like closing the barn door after the horse is stolen.
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the point or situation from which one starts to do something

Ex: Every time we encounter a major setback , we find ourselves back at square one.
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used when one has to return to the beginning of a process and redo the process after one's effort has failed

Ex: The prototype of the product did not work as planned, so we have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new design.
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from one place or situation to another without a clear purpose or direction, often in a chaotic or haphazard manner

Ex: The refugee family has been moving from pillar to post, seeking asylum in different countries, but has been turned away at every border.
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to unnecessarily adorn or decorate something that is already beautiful or perfect

Ex: The speech was already moving, but adding more dramatic language and gestures would gild the lily and make it seem insincere.
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to reach a point where it is unlikely or too difficult to make any progress

Ex: After weeks of rapid progress, the research team suddenly hit a wall when they encountered unexpected technical challenges.
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to take part in a protest that has no chance of reaching success

Ex: Trying to convince her to change her mind is like barking at the moon - it's a waste of time and effort.
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to make a wrong decision about how to achieve or deal with something

Ex: The critics are barking up the wrong tree by questioning the artist's talent.
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to waste energy on a lost cause

Ex: Trying to fix that ancient software now feels like beating a dead horse.
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to do something that is considered to be redundant or useless

Ex: The company's attempt to create a new product that was already available from many competitors was like bringing sand to the beach.
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to go through a series of efforts or actions only to end up back where one started, highlighting the lack of progress or meaningful change

Ex: The political party had gone full circle, as it had returned to the original principles and values that had guided it in its early days.
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the act of repeatedly talking or thinking about something without reaching a clear conclusion

Ex: The student was toing and froing between different majors, unsure of what career path to take.
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used to refer to a task that is s very difficult or impossible to do

Ex: Trying to get the children to sit still during storytime was like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall - they were full of energy and easily distracted.
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used when someone is doing something that is pointless or ineffective

Ex: Do you listen now or am I pouring water in a sieve?
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used to describe a frustrating or unproductive conversation with someone who is unresponsive or uninterested

Ex: Trying to reason with him was like talking to a wall - he refused to listen to any other perspective.
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the outcome or reward of a task is not worth the effort or resources required to achieve it

Ex: The project was so difficult and resource-intensive that the company decided to cancel it - the game wasn't worth the candle.
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to fail to make any progress in a job or task

Ex: The company was treading water financially and needed to make some changes in order to turn a profit.
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Failure
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