习语可以是一个词或短语，要理解习语的意思不能脱离其文化背景。习语一词的含义甚广，其蕴含的意义往往不能从词或词组的字面意思推测而得。习语在所有语言中都很常见。英语习语是日常英语的重要组成部分。在英语的书面语和口语中，存在海量的习语。
儒琴今日习语（Idiom of the Day）
wild goose chase
英语解释
a foolish and hopeless pursuit of something unattainable；a wild goose chase is a search for something that will never be found, or a race to catch something that cannot be caught. The thing may be impossible to find or catch, or the goal is imaginary and its purpose is tricking someone.
A search that is completely unsuccessful and a waste of time because the person or thing being searched for does not exist or is somewhere else.
The phrase has been traced back to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” 1597. The original meaning was an event in horseback riding, in which riders followed the leader in a V formation—similar to the pattern in which geese fly.
中文解释
白费力气的搜寻；徒劳之举; 劳而无功的事情; 徒劳无益; 竹篮打水一场空。
习语来源
实际上，这个习语的起源与大雁或追逐大雁无关。“wild goose chase”这个习语的起源来自于一种叫“wild goose chase”的古老赛马。比赛包括几匹马以预定的距离跟在领先的骑手后面赛跑。赛跑或多或少有点像大雁飞行的“V”队形，所以称为“wild goose chase”。
然而，这种“wild goose chase”比赛过去总是沿着不可预测的路线进行。这就是为什么这个习语最终被用来形容某人漫无目的，或无用地做某事。（theidioms.com）
原文举例
Do we think Russians meddled in the 2016 election? Probably, but the question is whether it impacted the outcome of the race. And the bigger question is whether Trump was involved. So far no one has come close to proving that he was … and this latest wild goose chase certainly looks like a crippling blow to those seeking to prove that he was.
我们认为俄罗斯人干预了2016年大选吗?可能吧，但问题是它是否影响了比赛的结果。更大的问题是特朗普是否参与其中。到目前为止，还没有人能证明他是……而最近这次徒劳的调查，对于那些试图证明他是的人来说，无疑是沉重的一击。
These errors had two fatal consequences. The most obvious was that a number of engines and dozens of firefighters were sent on a wild-goose chase and did not get to the fire for many minutes.
这些错误有两个致命的后果。最明显的是，一些救火车和几十名消防劳而无功，过了好几分钟都才到达火场。
