white whale
Consuming impossible pursuit
A white whale is an elusive goal or obsession that someone pursues relentlessly, often at great personal cost.
The term comes from Melville's *Moby-Dick*, in which Captain Ahab's monomaniacal hunt for a white sperm whale destroys him.
Finding that first edition has become my white whale.
The phrase implies both the nobility and the foolishness of the pursuit.
- PequodFictional whaling ship
- IshmaelCast-out firstborn son
- NantucketMassachusetts island resort
- harpoonBarbed spear for whales
Queequeg · Starbuck · Herman Melville · whaling · vengeance · monomania · obsession · nemesis
Earth's northernmost zone
- albinoOne without melanin
- paleLacking color intensity
- ghostlyResembling a specter
- cetaceanAquatic mammal order
pod · migration · polar seas · St. Lawrence · aquarium · echolocation · melon · blowhole
Persistent mental attachment
- pursuitAct of chasing something
- questSeeking journey for something
- impossible dreamAspiration that cannot succeed
- unattainableImpossible to acquire
compulsion · all-consuming · relentless · monomania · idée fixe · holy grail · unreachable · target
Hard to find
- legendary creatureImaginary being from folklore
- once-in-a-lifetimeOccurring only one time ever
- exceptionalNotably above the norm
- scarceIn short supply
unique specimen · prized · mythic · fabled · seldom seen · extraordinary · precious · one-of-a-kind
Ahab
Queequeg · Starbuck · Herman Melville · harpoon · whaling · vengeance · monomania · obsession · nemesis · pursuit
Arctic
Earth's northernmost zone
cetacean · pod · migration · polar seas · St. Lawrence · aquarium · echolocation · melon · blowhole · marine mammal
fixation
Persistent mental attachment
- pursuitAct of chasing something
- questSeeking journey for something
- impossible dreamAspiration that cannot succeed
unattainable · compulsion · all-consuming · relentless · monomania · idée fixe · holy grail · unreachable · target · aspiration
elusive
Hard to find
- legendary creatureImaginary being from folklore
- once-in-a-lifetimeOccurring only one time ever
- exceptionalNotably above the norm
scarce · unique specimen · prized · mythic · fabled · seldom seen · extraordinary · precious · one-of-a-kind · remarkable
- whale storiesMoby Dick
- Cetaceansdolphin, dolphins, porpoise, whales, orca
- literary animalsAnimal Farm, Charlotte's Web, Moby Dick, Watership Down, Old Yeller
- marine mammalsdolphin, whales, dolphins, porpoise, seals
- whaleshumpback, orca, bowhead, narwhal, beluga
- AllusionsAchilles heel, Pandora's box, Trojan horse, forbidden fruit, Midas touch
white whalelow-hanging fruit
Readily attainable objectives
easy win · sure thing · slam dunk · gimme · easy target
white whalepassing fancy
Temporary, shallow attraction
afterthought · hobby · side project · whim · take-it-or-leave-it
white, whale, whitewash, whitish, whiter, whiteness, whitened, whitest, whitehead