blind alleys
Streets without exits
Blind alleys are passages or paths with no exit—dead ends.
The term appears most often figuratively for lines of inquiry or courses of action that lead nowhere productive: The investigation went down several blind alleys before finding the real culprit.
A blind alley wastes time and effort because it cannot advance toward the goal.
- dead endPassage without outlet
- cul de sacStreet without outlet
- misdirectionIntentional focus manipulation
- impasseSituation without resolution
- hitting a wallReaching an insurmountable obstacle
dead end street · red herring · barking up the wrong tree · false start · stalemate · detour · futile · deadlock · fruitless · fool's errand · cul-de-sac · labyrinth · wild goose chase · unproductive · misstep · maze · quagmire · frustration
- maze termsdead ends, pathfinding, exit, starting point, corridors
blind alleysthoroughfares
Public roads for transit
main roads · arterial roads · highways · boulevards · avenues
blind alleysbreakthroughs
Sudden significant advances
right track · solutions · fertile ground · pay dirt · gold mines
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