Wastefulness: English Vocabulary List

to feel upset or regretful about something that has already happened and cannot be undone

"Don't cry over spilled milk anymore."

"There is no use crying over spilled milk because the past cannot be changed no matter how hard we try."

to do good things and waste valuable resources for ungrateful people

"Don't cast pearls before swine."

"Giving such a generous gift to someone who never shows appreciation is like casting pearls before swine."

to reach a point where gains equal losses, resulting in a balance

"After a year, the business finally broke even."

"After two years of hard work the small business finally managed to break even financially."

to try hard yet achieve very little or nothing at all

"I am just chasing my tail."

"I have been chasing my own tail all morning trying to find the keys but they were in my pocket the whole time."

to avoid wasting one's time and energy by not trying to persuade or convince someone who is unlikely to change their opinion or behavior

"Save your breath now."

"He's so set in his ways; you might as well save your breath trying to change his mind."

to try to prevent something bad from happening after it has already happened

"Close the barn door."

"Installing security cameras now is like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted."

the point or situation from which one starts to do something

"The project is back to square one."

"After the prototype failed the team went back to square one to redesign the product."

used when one has to return to the beginning of a process and redo the process after one's effort has failed

"Back to the drawing board."

"Our proposal was rejected so it is back to the drawing board to come up with a new plan."

from one place or situation to another without a clear purpose or direction, often in a chaotic or haphazard manner

"Sent me from pillar to post."

"The family was moved from pillar to post by the authorities before finally finding a permanent home."

to unnecessarily adorn or decorate something that is already beautiful or perfect

"Don't paint the lily."

"Adding more elaborate decorations to the already stunning wedding cake would be to paint the lily."

to reach a point where it is unlikely or too difficult to make any progress

"I hit a brick wall today."

"After months of trying to solve the problem, the researchers finally hit a brick wall and had to change their approach."

to take part in a protest that has no chance of reaching success

"Barking at the moon."

"His constant complaints about the government, with no real plan for change, are just barking at the moon."

to make a wrong decision about how to achieve or deal with something

"You bark wrong tree."

"If you think I'm the one who took your keys, you're barking up the wrong tree."

to waste energy on a lost cause

"Stop arguing, you are beating a dead horse."

"You are beating a dead horse by continuing to argue about that old issue because it is already resolved."

to do something that is considered to be redundant or useless

"Bringing sand to the beach is silly."

"Bringing a bottle of water to a lake is like bringing sand to the beach completely unnecessary."

to go through a series of efforts or actions only to end up back where one started, highlighting the lack of progress or meaningful change

"Life has turned full circle."

"After years of living abroad, she returned to her hometown and felt that her life had finally come full circle."

the act of repeatedly talking or thinking about something without reaching a clear conclusion

"Much toing and froing."

"The committee spent hours in toing and froing, but they never agreed on a final decision."

used to refer to a task that is s very difficult or impossible to do

"Fixing this is like nailing Jell-O to the wall."

"Trying to make him commit to a date is like nailing Jell-O to the wall because he is always changing his mind."

used when someone is doing something that is pointless or ineffective

"Spending there is like pouring water into a sieve."

"Teaching him is like pouring water into a sieve because he forgets everything within five minutes."

used to describe a frustrating or unproductive conversation with someone who is unresponsive or uninterested

"Talking to him is like a wall."

"Trying to get my son to clean his room is like talking to a brick wall."

the outcome or reward of a task is not worth the effort or resources required to achieve it

"The game is not worth the candle."

"After analysing the costs and potential returns, the board agreed the cake was not worth the candle."

to fail to make any progress in a job or task

"I am just treading water."

"Without proper funding and support, the small nonprofit organization has been treading water for several years now."

(of a business) to reach a point that yields no success due to the profit being almost as equal as the costs

"We broke even."

"After many months of hard work, the small business finally managed to break even."