Idiom idiom
go on a wild goose chase
Meaning
To do something pointless
Examples
“I go on a wild goose chase looking for my lost keys.”
“The manager sent me to three different stores for a specific tool, but it felt like a wild goose chase because nobody had it in stock.”
“The detectives realized they were on a wild goose chase after discovering that the anonymous tip was a deliberate attempt to distract them from the actual crime scene.”
Origin
first recorded 16th c. disputed origin
first recorded 16th c. disputed origin
From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (c. 1595); originally a kind of horse race in which riders followed a leader in formation like geese in flight.
Last updated June 7, 2026