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Glite Dictionary
to chase one's tail

to chase one's tail

7.7
To waste time on busy work and make no progress
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : dar vueltas en círculos
  • If we don't change our strategy, we'll just keep chasing our tails and never finish the project.

Examples

  • I've been chasing my tail trying to sort out these paperwork issues all week.

  • I've chased my tail a million times.

    Rugrats Go Wild (2003)

  • Whenever a deadline approaches, she feels like she's chasing her tail and not accomplishing much.

Synonyms

to waste time
vsto chase one's tail
728 1.6

To spend time doing things that are not useful instead of doing something more useful

is more about keeping busy without making real progress
to dawdle
vsto chase one's tail
17 5.0

Move or act slowly and waste time, causing delay

focuses on active but pointless busyness rather than slowness
to dilly-dally
vsto chase one's tail
  • Informal
5 7.9

To waste time by delaying when you should act

describes repetitive busywork that fails to advance tasks
to monkey around
vsto chase one's tail
  • Informal
4 7.3

Waste time by acting silly instead of working

is busy pointless activity rather than playful experimentation
to go nowhere fast
vsto chase one's tail
  • Informal
3 5.5

Fail to make progress even when you try hard

is about being busy yet failing to advance rather than speed
to mark time
vsto chase one's tail
  • Informal
3 6.3

Spend time waiting without making progress, doing unproductive things

is about keeping busy without forward movement rather than waiting
to spin your wheels
vsto chase one's tail
  • Informal
2 7.9

To waste time and effort without making progress

is about staying busy without achieving forward movement
to piddle
vsto chase one's tail
  • Informal
1 8.7

To waste time doing small unimportant things

describes keeping busy yet not actually moving forward
to chase its tail
vsto chase one's tail
  • Informal
1 7.5

To keep doing the same task without getting anywhere

is the original form used with the other pronoun choice
to bang one's head against a brick wall
vsto chase one's tail
  • Informal
1 8.2

To try many times to do something without success and feel frustrated

describes aimless busyness that lacks progress not strenuous failing attempts
to arse around
vsto chase one's tail
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To waste time doing silly or lazy things instead of useful work

is the neutral description of unproductive repetitive busyness
pissing in the wind
vsto chase one's tail
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Spending time or effort on something that will not work

means general busy unproductive activity rather than futile attempts
to waste one's time
vsto chase one's tail
3.3

To spend time on things that are not useful

is about active busyness that still fails to move forward
to piddle away
vsto chase one's tail
  • Informal
8.6

Spend time or money on unimportant things

is about being busy but repeating actions without progress
to footle away
vsto chase one's tail
  • UK
9.6

To waste time doing small, unimportant things

is about keeping busy but making no genuine progress
to pull your pud
vsto chase one's tail
  • Offensive
9.9

To waste time instead of working

is the neutral phrase for wasting time without slang

Antonyms

to achieve
∞ 2.3

To reach a goal by effort or skill

to making progress
251 2.8

Getting better at a task or skill you are working on

How Productive

to deliver results
  • Jargon
3 3.7
progress
∞ 2.5
to chase one's tail
  • Informal
7.7
to spin your wheels
  • Informal
2 7.9
to waste time
728 1.6

Surface Forms

chase one's tail infinitive
chased one's tail past
chased one's tail past participle
chasing one's tail present participle
chases one's tail third person singular

Morphology

chase + one + tail

The phrase evokes the literal image of an animal chasing its own tail, a clearly futile action; combining 'chase' + 'one's' + 'tail' therefore readily suggests pointless effort or wasted time. This simple, image-based metaphor is likely inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

The idiom chase one's tail comes from the picture of a dog chasing its own tail, running round and round but never moving forward. So it means 'to waste time' or 'keep busy without making progress'.