Wild goose chase
A wild goose chase is a search or pursuit that wastes time because its goal is unreachable, mistaken, or nonexistent. The phrase appears in Romeo and Juliet, where Mercutio uses it during a playful contest of wit with Romeo.
Where it comes from
The Shakespeare connection
The phrase appears in Romeo and Juliet. Its older sense referred to a riding contest in which riders followed a leader through an unpredictable course.
In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Mercutio exchange quick jokes. Mercutio compares their contest to a chase in which he struggles to keep up with Romeo.
In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
The meaning today
Today, the phrase usually means a pointless search, often caused by bad information. It need not involve animals or an actual chase.
In The Hunting of the Snark, a strange crew searches for an elusive creature, but the expedition ends without a captured Snark. Their pursuit offers a fanciful picture of the kind of fruitless quest the phrase now suggests.
In The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll
How to use Wild goose chase
- Use it for a search that leads nowhere useful.
- Explain which false clue or mistaken goal wasted time.
- Avoid it when a search is merely difficult or unfinished.
Does a wild goose chase have to involve searching for something?
No, it can mean any pointless pursuit, including a task based on mistaken information. Looking for a nonexistent document is one example; trying to solve a problem that has already been fixed is another. The key idea is wasted effort, not literal movement.
Did Shakespeare mean the same thing by it that people mean today?
Not quite: the older sense involved following an unpredictable course rather than simply searching in vain. In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio uses the phrase for a contest of wit. The modern meaning puts more weight on wasted effort and a goal that cannot be reached.
Related terms
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