beat one's head against the wall
Also, bang or run one's head against or into a brick wall. Waste one's time in a hopeless enterprise, as in I have tried many times to convince him to stop smoking, but I'm beating my head against a brick wall. The metaphoric phrase alludes to a physical expression of frustration. [Late 1500s] Also see beat the air.
Words Nearby beat one's head against the wall
- beatnik
- beatniks
- beat off
- Beaton
- beat one's brains out
- beat one's head against the wall
- beat out
- beat poets
- Beatrice
- Beatrix
- beats me
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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