Failure - Wastefulness

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

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to [cry] over spilled milk [phrase]

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

Ex: The cake I baked did n't turn out well , but there 's no point in crying over spilled milk .

to [cast|throw] pearls before swine [phrase]

to do good things and waste valuable resources for ungrateful people

Ex:

to [break] even [phrase]

(of a business) to reach a point that yields no success due to the profit being almost as equal as the costs

Ex: He invested heavily , hoping to break even before turning a profit .

to [chase] {one's} (own|) tail [phrase]

to try hard yet achieve very little or nothing at all

Ex:

to [save] {one's} breath [phrase]

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: I knew that , so I saved my breath , and offered no explanations .

to [close|shut|lock] the (stable|barn) door after the horse (has bolted|is stolen) [phrase]

to try to prevent something bad from happening after it has already happened

Ex:

square one [noun]

the point or situation from which one starts to do something

Ex: The team realized their plan was n’t working and returned to square one .

back to the drawing board [phrase]

used when one has to return to the beginning of a process and redo the process after one's effort has failed

Ex: The company's attempt to enter a new market was unsuccessful, so they have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new plan to achieve their goals.

from pillar to post [phrase]

from one place or situation to another without a clear purpose or direction, often in a chaotic or haphazard manner

Ex:

to [paint|gild] the lily [phrase]

to unnecessarily adorn or decorate something that is already beautiful or perfect

Ex: The garden was already beautiful , but adding more flowers and decorations would just paint the lily and make it look cluttered .

to [face|come to|hit] (a|the) (brick|) wall [phrase]

to reach a point where it is unlikely or too difficult to make any progress

Ex: The company 's attempts to enter the competitive market faced a brick wall due to strong competition and market saturation .

to [bark] at the moon [phrase]

to take part in a protest that has no chance of reaching success

Ex: The team 's efforts to win the championship were like barking at the moon , as they were vastly outmatched by their opponents .

to [bark] up the wrong tree [phrase]

to make a wrong decision about how to achieve or deal with something

Ex: You 're barking up the wrong tree by blaming her for the mistake .

to [beat] a dead horse [phrase]

to waste energy on a lost cause

Ex: Asking for another refund now is like beating a dead horse ; the policy wo n't change .

to [bring] sand to the beach [phrase]

to do something that is considered to be redundant or useless

Ex: Buying more drinks for the party is like bringing sand to the beach - there 's already plenty to go around .

to [come|go|turn] full circle [phrase]

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 city had turned full circle , as it had undergone a revitalization that had brought it back to its former glory as a cultural center .

toing and froing [phrase]

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 .

like nailing Jell-O to the wall [phrase]

used to refer to a task that is s very difficult or impossible to do

Ex:

like pouring water (in|into) a sieve [phrase]

used when someone is doing something that is pointless or ineffective

Ex: Danny 's mother used to say that teaching him good behaviour was like pouring water into a sieve .

like talking to a (brick|) wall [phrase]

used to describe a frustrating or unproductive conversation with someone who is unresponsive or uninterested

Ex: The teacher 's attempts to engage the disinterested student were like talking to a brick wall - the student was unresponsive and disengaged .

the (cake|game) [is] not worth the candle [sentence]

the outcome or reward of a task is not worth the effort or resources required to achieve it

Ex:

to [tread] water [phrase]

to fail to make any progress in a job or task

Ex: Despite working long hours and putting in a lot of effort, the team was just treading water and not making any progress towards their goals.

Failure
Resulting in Failure	Experiencing Failure	Lost in the Game	Wastefulness
Fruitlessness	Deterioration	Defamation & Unpopularity	Defeat
Game Over	Lose or Win	Mistakes & Poor Performance