to plough the sands
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To engage in some al- together fruitless labour. To plough with another's heifer. To use information obtained by unfair means>e.£. through a treacherous friend. A biblical phrase.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to plough the sands” mean?
To engage in some al- together fruitless labour. To plough with another's heifer. To use information obtained by unfair means>e.£. through a treacherous friend. A biblical phrase.
Is “to plough the sands” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.