goose chase
Hopeless wild hunt
A goose chase is a pursuit of something unattainable or nonexistent.
The phrase almost always appears as wild goose chase, describing a futile errand or pointless search: The tip sent detectives on a wild goose chase across three counties.
The original sense referred to a type of horse race where riders followed a leader in single file, like geese in flight.
- wildNot domesticated or controlled
- futileIncapable of producing results
- pursuitAct of chasing something
- fool's errandHopeless, pointless task
- huntPursuit of quarry
fruitless · snipe · errand · searching · running · running around · elusive · pointless · red herring · dead end · wasted · waste of time · foolish · lost cause · merry · runaround · hopeless · quest
- Animal Idiomsblind as a bat, brave as a lion, busy bee, copycat, dark horse
- wild goose chasesfool's errand, snipe hunt, futile effort
- pursuitpursuit, pursue, pursuing, track down, follow