wild-goose chase

American  

[wahyld-goos] / ˈwaɪldˈgus /

noun

1. a wild or absurd search for something nonexistent or unobtainable.

   a wild-goose chase looking for a building long demolished.

2. any senseless pursuit of an object or end; a hopeless enterprise.

   Her scheme of being a movie star is a wild-goose chase.

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wild-goose chase British  

noun

1. an absurd or hopeless pursuit, as of something unattainable

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wild goose chase Idioms  

1. A futile search or pursuit, as in I think she sent us on a wild goose chase looking for their beach house. This idiom originally referred to a form of 16th-century horseracing requiring riders to follow a leader in a particular formation (presumably resembling a flock of geese in flight). Its figurative use dates from about 1600.

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Etymology

Origin of wild-goose chase

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

One of the cinematic highlights of the 2024 New York International Children’s Film Festival could be described, at least partly, as a wild-goose chase.

From New York Times • Feb. 29, 2024

After something like a wild-goose chase, the grounds crew wrapped the big bird in a towel, placed it into a plastic recycling bin and retreated back into the Dodgers dugout.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2022

This time, the judges not only threw out Mr Odinga's case, but they chastised his legal team, saying the court had been sent on "a wild-goose chase".

From BBC • Sep. 5, 2022

It has also led to a wild-goose chase.

From Washington Post • Feb. 1, 2022

He thought Rindlisbacher’s focus on the issue was “interesting,” a word that almost seems to suggest that it was a bit of a wild-goose chase.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel