hamster wheel

American  

[ham-ster hweel, weel] / ˈhæm stər ˌʰwil, ˌwil /

noun

1. a cylindrical framework, usually within a cage, that is rotated by a hamster or other small animal running inside of it.

2. any situation that seems to be endlessly without goal or achievement.

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Etymology

Origin of hamster wheel

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

If the desire to be released from this Hell reaches across the party line — if it’s affecting everyone, everywhere — is there any escape at all, any way off this hamster wheel?

From Salon

If the desire to be released from this Hell reaches across the party line — if it’s affecting everyone, everywhere — is there any escape at all, any way off this hamster wheel?

From Salon

Add in the fact that there will now only be an annual check of the fiscal rules rather than a bi-annual one, and with a fair wind, this should put to bed the hamster wheel of speculation about missing borrowing targets.

From BBC

It is a recognition that the current system has led to an ever-spinning hamster wheel of tax rise speculation.

From BBC

A CMO role in sports can offer executives a more meaningful job than the corporate hamster wheel—but glamour and predictability can be in short supply.

From The Wall Street Journal