ENGLISH
REFERENCE

from pillar to post

idiom
Meaning

From one place, place, or thing to another, hither and thither.


Origin

first recorded 20th c. disputed origin

Possibly originally from post to pillar, perhaps a reference to the rapid movement of the ball in real tennis; The Wordsworth Dictionary of Proverbs (1993) notes that from post to pillar dates to at least the 15th century.

Examples
SIMPLE

The company sent me from pillar to post to fix my bill.

CONTEXTUAL

I spent all morning calling different departments and being sent from pillar to post without getting any answers.

COMPLEX

The refugees were driven from pillar to post by shifting borders and uncaring bureaucracies, finding no permanent sanctuary anywhere.

Anchors to
Related idioms6entries
  1. 01

    be left at the post

    To be beaten from the beginning of a competition or race.

  2. 02

    dumb as a post

    Utterly mute; lacking the ability to speak.

  3. 03

    far post

    The goalpost furthest from where a cross is made.

  4. 04

    knight of the post

    A known perjurer; a professional false witness.

  5. 05

    near post

    The goalpost nearest from which a cross is made.

  6. 06

    pip to the post

    To overcome a strong competitor in a sporting event, especially by gaining a small advantage at the last decisive moment.

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