Do we have any idiom in English stating such a concept? "the problem got so bad/complex that it cannot be solved anymore"
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1Possible duplicate of An idiom meaning someone's doing something useless and has no result at the end– Mari-Lou ACommented May 23, 2016 at 7:18
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1Fermat's last theorem– NemoCommented May 23, 2016 at 10:33
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4"Hopeless case" is a common and humorous phrase. It's a hopeless case! A really funny recent one is Dumpster fire :) "Sports team ABC is a dumpster fire this year!"– FattieCommented May 23, 2016 at 13:13
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4@Mari-LouA - not a duplicate, loosely related at most.– user66974Commented May 23, 2016 at 16:05
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@Josh61 well I was sorely tempted to suggest this question, but it's only asking for a "word" whereas this OP is asking for an idiom. A word for an inescapable and pointless situation?– Mari-Lou ACommented May 23, 2016 at 16:55
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12 Answers
You may use the idiomatic expression quagmire:
- a situation that is hard to deal with or get out of : a situation that is full of problems.
Example:
- That was six months ago, when the Defense secretary laughingly dismissed the idea that Iraq was, or could turn into, a quagmire.
(M-W)
also
- (informal) a situation in which no further progress can be made.
(Collins)
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2Quagmire certainly applies, but I fail to see how it's an "idiomatic expression"—isn't it just a "word"?– wcharginCommented May 23, 2016 at 6:07
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4@wchargin - it is idiomatic because it's used in a figurative sense here.– user66974Commented May 23, 2016 at 6:19
For not very formal use, and in the vein of IvanSanchez's answer but which is arguably a little stronger: FUBAR. "That thing is FUBAR'd". It's an acronym that stands for
- fucked
- up
- beyond
- all
- recognition
Since the situation is now "beyond all recognition", it is deemed impossible to solve.
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6The original military usage had the R meaning "repair", I believe.– KeturaCommented May 23, 2016 at 16:40
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Sisyphus was doomed to push a rock up a hill only for it to roll down every night. From this we get the concept of a Sisyphean task.
There are many colloquial phrases perhaps derived in spirit from this myth, for tasks which can't be completed, for example pushing water uphill with a rake and nailing jelly to a wall. These are quite common in UK engineering circles.
If it was impossible when it was given to you and your manager knew it but you didn't, the effect on your career might be serious. In this case the phrase poisoned chalice would be applicable. Strictly this lacks the sense of impossibility of fixing solving the problem, but a solution wouldn't be a success.
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@Nemo, "complex" was an option, the more general "bad" was too.– Chris HCommented May 23, 2016 at 11:12
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Love the phrase, but it applies more to the case of persons assigned to futile labor, rather than the plan itself; i.e. Sysyphus' task is deservedly and intentionally futile, whereas the OP wants more of a devolving misfortune.– agcCommented May 23, 2016 at 15:03
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@agc you may be right, though something like, "as we tried to meet the customer's requirements we realised we had a Sisyphean task on our hands" could be OK (it was always futile, but the victim didn't know at first). The question is rather short, so this might fit nicely, or might be completely irrelevant.– Chris HCommented May 23, 2016 at 15:08
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I would simply say unsolvable or (thank you @OrangeDog) insoluble. As @JohnWaylandBales replied you also have intractable but you were asking for "cannot be solved" not "hard to solve".
There is an interesting word for a problem so hard to solve within its (usually implied) rules but so important that someone breaks those rules in order to obtain a solution: a gordian knot problem, cutting the gordian knot.
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@OrangeDog: can't understand why I didn't think of that one, edited it in, thanks!– Law29Commented May 23, 2016 at 14:26
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1All the links to definitions are great. Your answer would be improved, though, by including those definitions in your post, properly referenced (in addition to a link, the source must be stated in text).– ErikECommented May 23, 2016 at 16:43
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1Insoluble would tend to be more "cannot be dissolved" these days Commented May 23, 2016 at 23:21
I would say SNAFU, military slang for «Situation Normal: All Fucked Up». The problem/situation is horrible, but it's been so for long enough as to be accepted as the normal situation.
A project that has gotten so difficult as to be impossible is sometimes called a death march.
In project management, a death march is a project where the members feel it is destined to fail, or requires a stretch of unsustainable overwork. The general feel of the project reflects that of an actual death march because the members of the project are forced to continue the project by their superiors against their better judgment.
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2Is it obvious to everyone that some people might find this offensive? Commented May 23, 2016 at 22:49
"Your project is doomed"
Doomed — TFD
adj
marked for certain death
"the black spot told the old sailor he was doomed"marked by or promising bad fortune
"their business venture was doomed from the start"
Forlorn hope — TFD
An undertaking that seems very unlikely to succeed.
"This plan you have is a forlorn hope and will never work out the way you want"
Lost cause — TFD
a futile attempt; a hopeless matter.
"Our campaign to have the new party on the ballot was a lost cause."
"Todd gave it up as a lost cause."
Losing battle — TFD
The problem has become intractable.
answered May 23, 2016 at 4:53
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4Often used as "solvable in theory but so hard it is impossible to solve in practice". Commented May 23, 2016 at 6:39
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Please explain your answer in full. Why has the problem become intractable? Commented May 25, 2016 at 9:24
Well if you want to make sure nobody but computing scientists understand you, you could always say:
The problem is NP-complete.
But this actually means that you can devise a way (an algorithm) that would in theory solve the problem, but in practice it would take an infinite (or impractically long) time.
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This is incorrect usage of NP-complete. NP-complete is a specific class of problems that though solvable, in general it takes an impractical amount of time to complete. BUT: These are simply one among many distinct classes of difficult problems, and any specific example can be solved. Commented May 24, 2016 at 17:55
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You pose it as an answer, but it simply is not a valid answer. I work regularly with NP complete problems. Saying something is NP-complete doesn't remotely mean "cannot be solved", or that you should abandon the project. Commented May 24, 2016 at 20:12
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I was being frivolous, Sorry, but as a molecular biologist I've learned to live with stuff being in every wretched IT company's DNA, so think of it as an attempt at revenge. I agree it's not an answer, but it's no worse than most of the others. I'll pull it if it really offends (although I assume the dreaded on hold means the question is so difficult that it cannot be answered.)– DavidCommented May 24, 2016 at 22:00
Gordian Knot
Is used to signify an insurmountable puzzle;
legend of Phrygian Gordium associated with Alexander the Great. It is often used as a metaphor for an intractable problem (disentangling an "impossible" knot) solved easily by loophole or "thinking outside the box" ("cutting the Gordian knot"):
One more option is:
The problem is incurable.
This metaphorical expression likens the problem to a disease that cannot be cured, and is especially suitable in situations where the problem has gotten worse over time or is too difficult to eliminate without causing harm or further problems, like some terminal illnesses.
Another option is:
The problem has spread like wildfire.
This clearly is applicable to problems that can spread quickly and cannot be easily doused. Not surprisingly, people who try to quell such problems are often described as trying to douse the issue.
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In a medical vein: the problem has metastasized - or spread like cancer Commented May 23, 2016 at 19:32
There are several that connote having only bad choices available:
"Catch 22" (taken from the title of the book of the same name).
"between a rock and a hard place"
"damned if I do, damned if I don't."
"Tool-blocked" refers to a bolt or screw that is impossible to remove because the necessary tool won't fit or work in the space the fastener is in. It could be used metaphorically to mean a problem that you could try to solve but you would get in your own way.
