Pilstyti iš tuščio į kiaurą
Meaning: To do utterly futile work.
Language: Lithuanian
Literally: To pour from the empty into the leaky
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Transferring nothing from an empty vessel into a leaking one pictures effort that achieves precisely nothing.
Equivalents in other languages
- Croatian: Mlatiti praznu slamu — literally: To thresh empty straw
- Arabic: يضرب في حديد بارد (yadrib fi hadid barid) — literally: To strike cold iron
More idioms — Daily Life
- Nagbibilang ng poste — Jobless and idle, with nothing to do.
- Melepaskan batuk di tangga — To do a job half-heartedly and leave it unfinished.
- Haraka haraka haina baraka — Haste makes waste.
- Mtaka cha mvunguni sharti ainame — You must work and humble yourself for what you want.
- Penye nia pana njia — Determination always finds a path.
- Codi pais ar ôl piso — Fretting over what's already done.
More Lithuanian idioms
- Sukti galvą — To rack your brains.
- Vilką minim, vilkas čia — Speak of the devil.
- Nei į tvorą, nei į mietą — Neither here nor there; completely irrelevant.
From our compliments & insults
- Без царя в голове (Bez tsarya v golove) — Foolish and reckless — with no one in charge upstairs.
- Cabeça de alho chocho — A forgetful scatterbrain whose thoughts won't stay put.
- Tu es mon rayon de soleil — A warm way to tell someone they brighten your day.