IdiomAnimals
Icelandic
IcelandicAð fara í geitarhús að leita ullar
Meaning: To seek something where it can't possibly be found.
Literally: To go to the goat shed looking for wool
Example: “Að leita að ódýru húsnæði í miðbænum er að fara í geitarhús að leita ullar.” — Looking for cheap housing downtown is a wild-goose chase.
English equivalent: Wild-goose chase
Equivalents in other languages
English: wild-goose chase
Origin: Goats in Iceland grow hair, not wool, so going to the goat shed for wool is looking for something where it cannot be found. The saying is old Icelandic, and no first use is documented.
More Icelandic idioms
- Að leggja árar í bát To give up and stop trying.
- Að leggja höfuðið í bleyti To sleep on a problem and think hard about it.
- Þetta reddast Things will work out fine in the end.
- Að ganga með grasið í skónum To pursue someone persistently, especially to court them.
- Að kasta til höndunum To do a job carelessly and in haste.
- Rúsínan í pylsuendanum A pleasant, unexpected bonus at the very end.
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