The map led us on a wild-goose chase through the forest.
wild-goose chase
idiomA futile search, a fruitless errand; a useless and often lengthy task whose execution is inordinately complex relative to the value of the outcome.
Origin
first recorded 16th c. disputed originEarly 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 (1621). Common use in the current may be the origin for the sport sense.
The manager sent him on a wild-goose chase to find a file that didn't even exist.
What had begun as a promising lead dissolved into a bureaucratic wild-goose chase, consuming weeks of effort for no tangible result.
- 01
chase a rainbow
To pursue something illusory, impractical, or impossible.
- 02
chase after
To pursue someone with romantic intentions; to woo.
- 03
chase away
To get rid of.
- 04
chase off
To drive someone or something away.
- 05
chase one's tail
To busily try to perform many tasks or to repeatedly revise one's plans, especially with inefficient use of one's time and limited results.
- 06
chase rainbows
To pursue unrealistic or fanciful goals.
- 07
chase tail
To be on the hunt for a (usually sexual) partner.
- 08
chase the dragon
To chase after the promise of a continually fulfilling high from an addictive substance.
Last updated April 17, 2026