Jump to content

Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2020 September 4

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Language desk
< September 3 << Aug | September | Oct >> September 5 >
Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.


September 4

[edit]

Fool's errand

[edit]

(Posting by banned user removed. – Fut.Perf. 17:07, 4 September 2020 (UTC))[reply]

Are you looking for specifically a phrase in the form of "carrying X to Y" or are you looking for general phrases meaning "pointless exercises/fool's errands"? --Jayron32 16:29, 4 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
If it's the former, perhaps "selling ice to Eskimos" is the one you are thinking of? --Jayron32 16:30, 4 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Difficult two answer an invisible query, but we have an article Coals to Newcastle. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 18:04, 4 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
And of course owls to Athens, which simply sounds much nicer. Temerarius (talk) 02:34, 5 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
And was mentioned in the original post before it was removed. --Khajidha (talk) 17:04, 5 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]