Etymology:
- Early recorded use refers to a type of 16th century horse race where everyone had to try to follow the erratic course of the lead horse, like wild geese have to follow their leader in formation. Mentioned in 1593 in the English poet Gervase Markham’s book about horsemanship. Also mentioned in the William Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, scene 4 by the character Mercutio: "Nay, if our wits run the wild-goose chase, I am done; for thou hast more of the wild goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five." Mentioned in Robert Burton, Anatomy of Melancholy. Common use in the current may be the origin for the sport sense.
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I went on a wild-goose chase all over the town looking for that adapter until I discovered they no longer make them.
Submitted on September 01, 2009
Additional definitions for 'wild-goose chase':
| wild-goose chase | A task whose execution is inordinately complex relative to the value of the outcome. |
| Wild-Goose Chase | A useless hunt, a worthless chase, a futile search |
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Nearby phrases
Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to wild-goose chase
the old woman is plucking her goosewild cherrywalk on the wild sidewild turkeywhat's sauce for the goose is sauce for…wild cherrywild turkeywouldn't say boo to a goosewhat's good for the goose is good for t…wild horseswild cherrywhat's good for the goose is good …wild horseswhat's good for the goose is good for t…
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"wild-goose chase." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/wild-goose-chase_8021>.
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