pattern

Failure - Fruitlessness

Dive into English idioms regarding fruitlessness, like "wild goose chase" and "boil the ocean".

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English idioms related to Failure
to [bring|carry] owls to Athens

to put effort into doing something unproductive and completely unnecessary

Ex: Teaching basic accounting to that expert is like bringing owls to Athens. 
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to [carry|take] coals to Newcastle

to undertake something that is pointless

Ex: Sending bottled water to a house with a filter is like carrying coals to Newcastle. 
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to [chase] rainbows

to pursue a goal or aspiration that is unrealistic or unlikely to be achieved

Ex: He spent years chasing rainbows instead of building a stable career. 
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to [be|go] for naught

to completely fail to produce the intended or expected effect

Ex: All our preparations went for naught when the event was canceled. 
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to [come] to nothing

to fail to achieve the desired results

Ex: After months of talks, the deal came to nothing. 
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down the drain

used to refer to something, such as a chance, idea, etc., that has been completely wasted or neglected

Ex: All our hard work went down the drain after the computer crashed. 
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to [fall] on stony ground

to fail to produce or achieve the desired result

Ex: His warnings fell on stony ground, and nobody changed their behavior. 
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to [go|get] nowhere

to fail to achieve success despite the attempts made

Ex: We tried to fix the problem, but we got nowhere. 
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in circles
in circles
[phrase]

with no success achieved or no progress made

Ex: We talked for hours, but we were just going in circles. 
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to [milk] (the|a) (bull|ram)

to engage in a fruitless or pointless activity

Ex: Trying to convince him now is like milking a bull. 
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to [pay] too dearly for {one's} whistle

to waste too much money, resources, or effort on doing something that proves to be unfulfilling in the end

Ex: He paid too dearly for his whistle when he spent all his savings on a car he barely uses. 
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wild goose chase

a pursuit or search for something that is unlikely to produce any useful result

Ex: Looking for that file without a backup turned into a wild goose chase. 
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wise after the event

to come to realize what could have been done to prevent something bad from happening after it has already happened

Ex: He was wise after the event and said we should have checked the brakes. 
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to [boil] the ocean

to make an attempt to achieve something that seems extremely difficult or even impossible

Ex: Trying to finish the entire project in one night is like boiling the ocean. 
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to [wave] a dead chicken

to engage in a futile or meaningless action in an attempt to resolve a problem or accomplish a task

Ex: Restarting the computer again and again without checking the real issue is just waving a dead chicken. 
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to [put] (a|) lipstick on a pig

to make a fruitless attempt in order to make something look more beautiful or successful

Ex: Changing the app icon won't fix the bugs; it's just putting lipstick on a pig. 
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to [whistle] in the wind

to make a fruitless attempt to solve a problem

Ex: Trying to fix the leak with tape was just whistling in the wind. 
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to [argue] the toss

to disagree with or continue arguing about a decision that is already made

Ex: The deadline is final, so please don't argue the toss. 
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to [spin] {one's} wheels

to use effort without making real progress

Ex: We spun our wheels for hours without solving the problem. 
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to [go|get] nowhere fast

to make no real progress

Ex: The discussion was going nowhere fast. 
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lost cause

a thing or person that cannot be fixed, saved, or made successful

Ex: After numerous failed attempts, the project seemed like a lost cause. 
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train wreck

a complete disaster or serious failure

Ex: The meeting was a train wreck. 
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to [go] around in circles

to keep discussing or trying something without making progress or reaching a conclusion

Ex: We're just going around in circles with this issue. 
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to [have] nothing to show for it

to have no result, reward, or benefit after effort or trouble

Ex: He worked all weekend and had nothing to show for it. 
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