spinning wheels
Old fiber twisters
Spinning wheels names a state of fruitless effort—activity that produces no forward progress, like a vehicle's tires rotating without traction.
Someone spinning their wheels is busy but unproductive: We've been spinning our wheels on this project for months.
The phrase can describe bureaucratic stalling, pointless meetings, or any expenditure of energy that goes nowhere.
- RumpelstiltskinName-guessing folklore imp
- spindleRotating rod for thread
- yarnTwisted strand for crafts
- SisypheanEndlessly, pointlessly laborious
- Sleeping BeautyCurse-bound dormant royal
treading water · unproductive · going nowhere · pedal · treadle · distaff · rotation · threading · fruitless · natural fibers · carding · axle · rotary · futile · flax · silk · bobbin · twist
- fantasywizard, witch, magic, dragon, elf
- textilescotton, wool, silk, fabric, thread
- figurative actionsburning bridges, biting tongue, burying hatchet, cutting ties, jumping ship
- frontier lifehomesteaders, farmer, homesteading, shepherd, pioneer women
- heritage craftsfolk art, traditional textiles, embroidered linens, wooden carvings, lace work
- homesteadinghomesteading, self-sufficiency, off-grid living, off-grid, chicken coop
spinning wheelslooms
Emerges menacingly, or textile frames
weaving looms · knitting needles · crochet hooks · sewing machines · embroidery frames
spinning wheelsmaking progress
gaining traction · moving forward · making headway · traction · advancement
spinning wheelsspinning jennies
Early multi-spool thread makers
spinning mills · power looms · cotton mills · textile factories
spin, wheel, wheels, spinning, spins, spinner, wheeled, wheeling, spinners