dry hole

American  

[drahy hohl] / ˈdraɪ ˈhoʊl /

noun

1. Also called duster.  any well drilled for oil or gas that does not yield enough to be commercially profitable.

   After three consecutive dry holes, we were delirious when this site came through big for us.

2. a failed business venture, especially one that began with expectations and promises of high profitability.

   How do we explain to our investors yet another dry hole from our video games division?

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dry hole British  

noun

1. (in the oil industry) a well that is drilled but does not produce oil or gas in commercially worthwhile amounts

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Etymology

Origin of dry hole

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

January and February, normally the wettest months, formed a dry hole in the middle of the rainy season.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2020

Faced with such a dry hole, this writer resorted to proposing his own changes to Augusta’s closing four holes in a piece entitled, “Masters Makeover” in that year's April issue.

From Golf Digest • Apr. 3, 2019

One dry hole does not necessarily mean there is no oil to be found, especially since some decades-old seismic tests indicate that the area may hold as much as 12 billion barrels’ worth.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2019

That’s how prosecutors do their work, unless they have come to the quick conclusion that the subject is a dry hole.

From Washington Post • Aug. 4, 2017

She dragged aside a slab of stone from a smaller, dry hole in the rock.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer