# What does ‘a wild-goose chase’ mean?

To “a wild-goose chase” means to a hopeless or pointless pursuit. Brewer's records the phrase from an old form of horse race in which one rider set an erratic course and the others had to follow, like a flock of geese; hence any zigzagging, futile pursuit.

## What it means

- Brewer's records the phrase from an old form of horse race in which one rider set an erratic course and the others had to follow, like a flock of geese; hence any zigzagging, futile pursuit.

## Action steps

1. Used with frustration about wasted effort.
2. Example: That errand turned into a wild-goose chase.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

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