everlasting staircase

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

A never-ending or constantly repetitive task

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Nhiệm vụ không ngừng hoặc lặp đi lặp lại liên tục

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: a staircase that lasts forever
Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

The paperwork for this project feels like climbing an everlasting staircase

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.

Sense 2

Meaning · English

the treadmill. Sometimes, but very rarely now called "Colonel Chesterton’s EVERLASTING STAIRCASE," from the gallant inventor or improver. Also known as "the STEPPER."

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English
Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “everlasting staircase” mean?

A never-ending or constantly repetitive task Literally: a staircase that lasts forever

Is “everlasting staircase” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.