blind alley
Street without exit
A blind alley is a passage or street closed at one end—a dead end.
The figurative meaning dominates: a course of action that leads nowhere productive.
The investigation went down several blind alleys before finding the real culprit.
That line of research proved to be a blind alley.
Situation without resolution
- dead-end streetRoad with one entrance
- cul-de-sacStreet closed at end
- no through roadStreet without exit
- nowhereNot at any place
stalemate · standstill · blockade · halt · deadlock · roadblock · barrier · obstruction
Incapable of producing results
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- unproductiveFailing to achieve results
- pointlessLacking any purpose
- uselessWithout practical value
vain · wild goose chase · fool's errand · barren · unavailing · unprofitable · unrewarding · purposeless
Of small width
- confinedKept within bounds
- enclosedSurrounded and sealed within
- tightFirmly stretched or fitting
- crampedUncomfortably lacking space
hemmed in · boxed in · cornered · restricted · walled in · trapped · stuck · bottleneck
Hidden danger or drawback
- snareDevice for catching prey
- false leadMisleading clue or trail
- red herringIntentional misleading distraction
- misdirectionIntentional focus manipulation
decoy · lure · false trail · wrong track · goose chase · detour · diversion · false hope
Intricate passage network
- twistsRotational bends or turns
- windingCurving repeatedly, sinuous
- confusingCausing mental uncertainty
- disorientingCausing loss of direction
lost · bewildering · convoluted · circuitous · meandering · serpentine · branching
impasse
Situation without resolution
- dead-end streetRoad with one entrance
- cul-de-sacStreet closed at end
- no through roadStreet without exit
nowhere · stalemate · standstill · blockade · halt · deadlock · roadblock · barrier · obstruction · stoppage
futile
Incapable of producing results
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- unproductiveFailing to achieve results
- pointlessLacking any purpose
useless · vain · wild goose chase · fool's errand · barren · unavailing · unprofitable · unrewarding · purposeless · empty
narrow
Of small width
cramped · hemmed in · boxed in · cornered · restricted · walled in · trapped · stuck · bottleneck · chokepoint
pitfall
Hidden danger or drawback
- snareDevice for catching prey
- false leadMisleading clue or trail
- red herringIntentional misleading distraction
misdirection · decoy · lure · false trail · wrong track · goose chase · detour · diversion · false hope · setup
labyrinth
Intricate passage network
- twistsRotational bends or turns
- windingCurving repeatedly, sinuous
- confusingCausing mental uncertainty
disorienting · lost · bewildering · convoluted · circuitous · meandering · serpentine · branching
- Blind
- impassesimpasse, deadlock, stalemate, standstill, gridlock
- Mazesmaze, labyrinth, corn maze, hedge maze, ball maze
- setbacksfailing, back to square one, stuck, losing, stumbles
- alleysbackstreet, narrow lane, narrow passage, passageway, lane
- burrowsburrow, rabbit warren, tunnel, warren, fox den
blind alleythoroughfare
Main public road
main road · highway · arterial road · open road · corridor
blind alleybreakthrough
Sudden important advance
winning strategy · golden opportunity · fertile ground · right track · open door
blind, alley, blindness, blinding, blinded, alleyway, blindfold, alleys, alleyways