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A wild goose chase is a hopeless quest – one that is pointless and bound to end in failure. What's the origin of the phrase 'Wild goose chase'? This phrase is old and appears to be one of the many phrases introduced to the language by Shakespeare. The first recorded citation is from Romeo and Juliet, 1592:
The meaning of WILD-GOOSE CHASE is a complicated or lengthy and usually fruitless pursuit or search. How to use wild-goose chase in a sentence.
A “wild goose chase” is a phrase that we all use – frequently – and we all know what it means – chasing after something that we will never catch, or pursuing some course that will lead nowhere. How many of us know why a useless pursuit should be termed a wild goose chase rather than some other activity, though?
a search that is completely unsuccessful and a waste of time because the person or thing being searched for does not exist or is somewhere else: After two hours spent wandering in the snow, I realized we were on a wild goose chase. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Searching. beachcomber. beachcombing. body search. bounty hunter. comb.
When someone is on a ‘wild goose chase,’ they are pursuing something that is difficult to find or obtain to the point that it feels like a waste of time and/or pointless. Example: Simon is looking for a rare insect that resides in the forest.
Mar 19, 2024 · That’s the essence of a “wild goose chase” – a phrase used to describe a pointless or hopeless pursuit. But why compare fruitless endeavors to chasing geese? Let’s dive in!
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In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio likens the rapid exchange of jokes between Romeo and himself to the cross-country horse race of Shakespeare's time, known as the wild goose chase, in which any number of riders tried to keep up with and accurately follow the lead rider's course:
