Timeline for An idiom meaning someone's doing something useless and has no result at the end
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
54 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jan 4, 2023 at 20:46 | answer | added | msouth | timeline score: 0 | |
| Mar 25, 2018 at 19:43 | answer | added | Zebrafish | timeline score: 0 | |
| Mar 25, 2018 at 19:30 | answer | added | Beqa | timeline score: 0 | |
| Sep 1, 2017 at 19:50 | answer | added | Michael Brown | timeline score: 2 | |
| Jun 2, 2015 at 12:23 | comment | added | Renae Lider | Bringing sand to the beach. Teaching monkeys to climb trees | |
| Feb 9, 2015 at 2:22 | answer | added | O.M.Y. | timeline score: 0 | |
| Feb 9, 2015 at 1:54 | answer | added | O.M.Y. | timeline score: 1 | |
| Jan 25, 2014 at 5:18 | review | Close votes | |||
| Jan 27, 2014 at 23:06 | |||||
| Jan 25, 2014 at 4:59 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | possible duplicate of Is there an American English equivalent of the British idiom "carrying coals to Newcastle"? | |
| Aug 11, 2013 at 22:02 | vote | accept | Gigili | ||
| Nov 12, 2012 at 16:35 | answer | added | jamesnotjim | timeline score: 0 | |
| Aug 21, 2012 at 19:56 | comment | added | Michael Blaustein | So many idioms listed on this page, I wonder if the "native language" mentioned above has as many idioms that all convey similar meanings. | |
| Jul 30, 2012 at 23:02 | comment | added | J. Walker | AHHHHHHHHH! What was I thinking? I meant spitting in the ocean! Say... Hey! Spitting in the desert would work too! | |
| Jul 30, 2012 at 23:01 | comment | added | J. Walker | I have heard spitting in the desert. | |
| Jul 30, 2012 at 22:58 | answer | added | Ste | timeline score: 5 | |
| Jul 30, 2012 at 22:38 | answer | added | J. Walker | timeline score: 1 | |
| Jul 24, 2012 at 19:11 | vote | accept | B Faley | ||
| Aug 11, 2013 at 22:02 | |||||
| Apr 15, 2012 at 8:41 | answer | added | Ali Shakiba | timeline score: 2 | |
| Apr 15, 2012 at 6:03 | answer | added | Vervious | timeline score: 2 | |
| Apr 14, 2012 at 22:00 | comment | added | Chris S | A camel farting in the desert is another | |
| Apr 14, 2012 at 2:54 | answer | added | Nate Eldredge | timeline score: 6 | |
| Apr 14, 2012 at 0:47 | history | edited | RegDwigнt |
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| Apr 13, 2012 at 21:55 | answer | added | Deditos | timeline score: 3 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 20:00 | comment | added | Graham Snyder | One of my favourites is pissing into the wind, though this can carry the further implication that trying to achieve the task could actually result in you making things worse for yourself. | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 19:39 | answer | added | Biff MaGriff | timeline score: 3 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 17:53 | comment | added | Steven Rumbalski | Rather than finding an idiom to substitute, you could just say "pointless". | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 17:29 | answer | added | ErikE | timeline score: 15 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 17:21 | answer | added | Chris Cudmore | timeline score: 3 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 16:35 | comment | added | John Y | Similar (especially judging by the answers!): coals to Newcastle. | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 14:56 | answer | added | Tom J Nowell | timeline score: 18 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 14:45 | answer | added | Hellion | timeline score: 11 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 14:37 | answer | added | Michael Brown | timeline score: 4 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 14:36 | comment | added | Rafael Almeida | In Brazil, it's "punching the point of a knife". | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 14:25 | history | protected | RegDwigнt | ||
| Apr 13, 2012 at 14:19 | answer | added | Chad Harrison | timeline score: 1 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 13:25 | comment | added | Em1 | @reinierpost Yes, I agree with you regarding her own words. Just the example (which isn't created by her) has this subtle nuance I'm referring to. Eventually, most people aren't aware of that, so your statement is absolutely acceptable and, moreover, I think many languages have this idiom, too. | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 13:19 | comment | added | reinierpost | @Em1: I do not see that implication in what Gigili has written. Water naar de zee dragen means: to keep doing something that any sane person realizes is never going to amount to anything useful no matter how long you continue. So you're right in that it doesn't apply to arbitrary kinds of useless behaviour. | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 13:19 | comment | added | user14070 | @cornbreadninja or nailing Jell-o to a wall. +1 for you sir. | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 13:17 | comment | added | Em1 | @reinierpost That does not completely fit here. The difference is, what Gigili is asking about is doing something which is impossible (or at least seems to be impossible) while yours is more about doing something superfluously because there is already enough. It's same like carry coals to Newcastle or in my mother-tongue take owls to Athen. ... But Gigili you can say selling sand to Arabs or selling snow to Eskimos. The subtle difference is explained here | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 13:11 | comment | added | zpletan | It might be worth noting that this idiom deals with nonsense/stupidity, not futility, as in some of the answers. | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 13:05 | comment | added | Mitch | Related:caring about minor stuff while something terrible happening. The difference here is that there is no connotation of disaster, just lost effort. | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 13:05 | comment | added | reinierpost | In mine, it's carrying water to sea. | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 13:03 | answer | added | user16269 | timeline score: 19 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 13:00 | answer | added | cha0site | timeline score: 1 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 12:47 | comment | added | cornbread ninja 麵包忍者 | Raising teenagers has been described as nailing Jell-o to a tree. | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 11:48 | answer | added | DerMike | timeline score: 5 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 11:39 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/#!/StackEnglish/status/190766233317150720 | ||
| Apr 13, 2012 at 10:08 | comment | added | DQdlM | I would note that most English speakers will likely understand your translated "squashing water" comment - as a matter of fact, I am going to try to remember that, that's great! | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 10:05 | answer | added | DQdlM | timeline score: 19 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 9:04 | answer | added | kotekzot | timeline score: 25 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 8:57 | answer | added | Barrie England | timeline score: 13 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 8:47 | answer | added | mplungjan | timeline score: 17 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 7:32 | answer | added | Jim | timeline score: 32 | |
| Apr 13, 2012 at 7:21 | history | asked | Gigili | CC BY-SA 3.0 |