wild-goose chase
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Sense 1
A pursuit of something elusive or impossible to catch
Sự theo đuổi một điều gì đó khó nắm bắt hoặc không thể đạt được
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Examples
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 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Sense 2
A tedious uncertain pursuit, like the following a flock of wild geese, who are remarkably shy.
Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “wild-goose chase” mean?
A pursuit of something elusive or impossible to catch Literally: hunting wild geese
Is “wild-goose chase” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.