a Sisyphean task

Meaning: An endless, futile task.

Language: English

Literally: (Already vivid in English)

Example: “Keeping the kitchen clean with three teenagers is a Sisyphean task.”

Category: The Absurd

Origin: In Greek myth, Sisyphus was punished in the underworld by rolling a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down each time.

Equivalents in other languages

Captain Obvious — A mocking name for someone who states the obvious.
diddly-squat — Nothing at all.
a fat lot of good that does me — That is of no use to me at all.
what have you been smoking? — Said to someone whose idea sounds crazy.
yada yada yada — And so on; skipping boring details.
walk a tightrope — To be in a situation where one small mistake would be disastrous.

so near and yet so far — Close to something one wants but unable to reach it.
jam tomorrow — A promise of good things in the future that never arrive.
a rolling stone gathers no moss — Someone who keeps moving never settles or accumulates anything; sometimes also, keeping a…
little strokes fell great oaks — Small, steady efforts achieve great results.
have one foot in the grave — To be close to death.
cast the first stone — To be the first to condemn someone.

She sells seashells by the seashore. — The definitive 's' versus 'sh' alternation — the tongue has to switch place of articulati…
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. — A relentless 'p' plosive drill; a peck is an old dry measure of about nine litres.
Unique New York. — Three words that jam the 'y/n/k' sequence together — repeat it and it collapses into 'you…