In a pickle

[0334] Wild goose chase

🎲 Like a hot knife through butter
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • A pointless, futile, or hopeless pursuit of something unattainable or non-existent.
  • Wasting time searching for something that's impossible to find or chasing after something you can't catch.

Origin

  • The exact origin is debated. One theory relates to an old type of horse race (16th century) called a 'wild-goose chase', where riders had to follow a lead horse at a set distance, mimicking geese flying in formation a complex and difficult task.
  • Another theory suggests it simply refers to the difficulty of actually chasing and catching a wild goose due to its erratic flight and awareness.
  • Shakespeare popularized the phrase in 'Romeo and Juliet' (Act 2, Scene 4), using it to describe a convoluted or nonsensical conversation. The meaning shifted over time to focus on the futility of the pursuit itself.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • Fool's errand
  • Pointless search / task
  • Runaround (implies being deliberately sent to different people/places)
  • Snipe hunt (US specifically, a prank involving a hunt for a mythical creature)
  • Wasted effort / time

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • Runaround
  • Bum steer (Aus/NZ bad direction/information)
  • Dead end
  • Waste of fucking time (Vulgar)

Milder:

  • Futile pursuit / search / effort
  • Unproductive task
  • Pointless exercise
  • Fruitless endeavor

Situational Appropriateness

  • Informal to semi-formal.
  • Common and widely understood. Suitable for describing frustrating or unproductive efforts.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • The literal image is clear, but the meaning of 'futility' might be missed if the listener isn't familiar with the idiom. They might think it was just a difficult chase.

Examples

  • He sent me all over town looking for a specific spare part, but it turned out to be a wild goose chase – they stopped making it years ago.
  • The treasure map was fake, leading us on a wild goose chase through the woods.
  • Trying to get a straight answer from him is like going on a wild goose chase.

Dialogue

Manager: Did you manage to get the sales figures from the old database?

Employee: No, I spent all morning trying. IT confirmed that the database was decommissioned last year. It was a complete wild goose chase.

Manager: Oh, right. Sorry about that, I should have checked first. Thanks for trying.

Social Media Examples

  • Post: Spent 3 hours navigating customer service menus and transfers only to be told they can't help me. Total wild goose chase! 🤬 #customerservice #fail #frustrated
  • Tweet: My quest for the perfect sourdough starter recipe feels like a wild goose chase sometimes. So many conflicting instructions! #baking #sourdough #help

Response Patterns

  • Oh, that's so annoying!
  • What a waste of time.
  • That sounds frustrating.
  • Why did they send you on that?
  • Did you ever find it / get the answer? (Often expecting a 'no')

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

After hearing someone describe a wild goose chase:

  • Express sympathy: Sorry you had to go through that.
  • Ask for details: What happened exactly? / Who sent you?
  • Share a similar experience: I hate when that happens.
  • Ask about the resolution: So, what did you do in the end?

Conversation Starter

  • No. Describes a frustrating experience, usually after it has happened or while it's ongoing.

Intonation

  • Often said with frustration, annoyance, or weariness.
  • Stress typically falls on wild and goose. a WILD GOOSE chase.

Generation Differences

  • Widely understood and used across generations.

Regional Variations

  • Common in all major English-speaking regions.
  • 'Snipe hunt' is a specifically American English equivalent, often implying a prank.
In a pickle
🎲 Like a hot knife through butter