See fool's errand in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "18th century.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "fools' errands",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
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],
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"1": "fools' errands"
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"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
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"_dis": "88 12",
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{
"_dis": "73 27",
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"_dis": "84 16",
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{
"_dis": "73 27",
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"_dis": "86 14",
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},
{
"_dis": "78 22",
"kind": "other",
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"parents": [],
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}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1821, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 1, in Kenilworth:",
"text": "If I were to travel only that I might be discontented with that which I can get at home, methinks I should go but on a fool's errand.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1988 March 7, Michael S. Serrill, “Diplomacy To Dream the Impossible Dream”, in Time, archived from the original on 2013-06-30:",
"text": "Shultz took little notice of the Soviet view or that of others who said his Middle East mission was a fool's errand. \"You can't be too afraid of failing,\" said the 67-year-old diplomat.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A foolish undertaking, especially one that is purposeless, fruitless, nonsensical, or certain to fail."
],
"id": "en-fool's_errand-en-noun-oWBSp~xT",
"links": [
[
"foolish",
"foolish"
],
[
"undertaking",
"undertaking"
],
[
"purposeless",
"purposeless"
],
[
"fruitless",
"fruitless"
],
[
"nonsensical",
"nonsensical"
],
[
"certain",
"certain"
],
[
"fail",
"fail"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) A foolish undertaking, especially one that is purposeless, fruitless, nonsensical, or certain to fail."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "idiot's errand"
},
{
"word": "lost errand"
},
{
"word": "sleeveless errand"
},
{
"word": "wild-goose chase"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "hullun homma"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "hullutus"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "vergebliche Mühe"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"tags": [
"dated",
"masculine",
"rare"
],
"word": "Metzgergang"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "ברכה לבטלה"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "משימה שנידונה לכישלון"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "משימה אבודה מראש"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "compito da pazzi"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "follia"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "impresa folle"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "honeorizon",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "骨折り損"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "mudaashi",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "むだ足"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "próżny wysiłek"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "misión imposible"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "tarea de tontos"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "abesle iştigal"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "boş iş"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Near-synonym: wild-goose chase"
},
{
"text": "Meronyms: blinker fluid, key to the midway, left-handed monkey wrench, muffler bearing, skyhook"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Such an undertaking, assigned as a prank."
],
"id": "en-fool's_errand-en-noun-OepR0kvK",
"links": [
[
"prank",
"prank"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) Such an undertaking, assigned as a prank."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "snipe hunt"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-fool's errand.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/66/En-au-fool%27s_errand.ogg/En-au-fool%27s_errand.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/En-au-fool%27s_errand.ogg"
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],
"word": "fool's errand"
}
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
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"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
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"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Hebrew translations",
"Terms with Italian translations",
"Terms with Japanese translations",
"Terms with Polish translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations",
"Terms with Turkish translations"
],
"etymology_text": "18th century.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "fools' errands",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "fools' errands"
},
"expansion": "fool's errand (plural fools' errands)",
"name": "en-noun"
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],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1821, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 1, in Kenilworth:",
"text": "If I were to travel only that I might be discontented with that which I can get at home, methinks I should go but on a fool's errand.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1988 March 7, Michael S. Serrill, “Diplomacy To Dream the Impossible Dream”, in Time, archived from the original on 2013-06-30:",
"text": "Shultz took little notice of the Soviet view or that of others who said his Middle East mission was a fool's errand. \"You can't be too afraid of failing,\" said the 67-year-old diplomat.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A foolish undertaking, especially one that is purposeless, fruitless, nonsensical, or certain to fail."
],
"links": [
[
"foolish",
"foolish"
],
[
"undertaking",
"undertaking"
],
[
"purposeless",
"purposeless"
],
[
"fruitless",
"fruitless"
],
[
"nonsensical",
"nonsensical"
],
[
"certain",
"certain"
],
[
"fail",
"fail"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) A foolish undertaking, especially one that is purposeless, fruitless, nonsensical, or certain to fail."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "idiot's errand"
},
{
"word": "lost errand"
},
{
"word": "sleeveless errand"
},
{
"word": "wild-goose chase"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English idioms"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Near-synonym: wild-goose chase"
},
{
"text": "Meronyms: blinker fluid, key to the midway, left-handed monkey wrench, muffler bearing, skyhook"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Such an undertaking, assigned as a prank."
],
"links": [
[
"prank",
"prank"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) Such an undertaking, assigned as a prank."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "snipe hunt"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-fool's errand.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/66/En-au-fool%27s_errand.ogg/En-au-fool%27s_errand.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/En-au-fool%27s_errand.ogg"
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"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "hullun homma"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "hullutus"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "vergebliche Mühe"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"tags": [
"dated",
"masculine",
"rare"
],
"word": "Metzgergang"
},
{
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "ברכה לבטלה"
},
{
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "משימה שנידונה לכישלון"
},
{
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "משימה אבודה מראש"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "compito da pazzi"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "follia"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "impresa folle"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "honeorizon",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "骨折り損"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "mudaashi",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "むだ足"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "próżny wysiłek"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "misión imposible"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "tarea de tontos"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "abesle iştigal"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "foolish undertaking",
"word": "boş iş"
}
],
"word": "fool's errand"
}
Download raw JSONL data for fool's errand meaning in English (4.5kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-09-22 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-09-20 using wiktextract (af5c55c and 66545a6). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.