Chase your tail Meaning in English
expression
ˈtʃeɪs/ /ˈjɔɹ/, /ˈjʊɹ/ /ˈteɪɫ
CHAYS yoor TAYL
tʃˈeɪs/ /jˈɔː/ /tˈeɪl
ch-AYS yaw TAYL
Definition
To be very busy doing many things, but not achieving much, like working very hard with little or no result.
Usage & Nuances
This is an informal, often lighthearted idiom. Used about frustration, inefficiency, or feeling stuck. Common with phrases like 'feel like I’m', 'just', or 'all day'. Not literally about dogs.
Spanish: perder el tiempo - dar vueltas sin avanzarPortuguese (BR): correr atrás do próprio rabo - desperdiçar tempoPortuguese (PT): andar atrás do próprio rabo - desperdiçar tempoChinese (Simplified): 白费力气 - 徒劳无功Chinese (Traditional): 白費力氣 - 徒勞無功Hindi: समय बर्बाद करना - बिना नतीजा मेहनत करनाArabic: تضييع الوقت - تدور في حلقة مفرغةBengali: অর্থহীন ব্যস্ত থাকা - অকার্যকর দৌড়ঝাঁপ করাRussian: вертеться как белка в колесе - суетиться без толкуJapanese: 空回りする - 無駄にバタバタするVietnamese: quay cuồng mà không hiệu quả - làm hoài không xong việcKorean: 헛수고하다 - 허둥대다Turkish: boşa çabalamak - kendi etrafında dönmekUrdu: فالتو دوڑ بھاگ کرنا - بے نتیجہ مصروف رہناIndonesian: sibuk tapi tidak menghasilkan - seperti berputar-putar saja
Example Sentences
I spent all morning chasing my tail at work.
basic
Sometimes I feel like I’m just chasing my tail at home.
basic
We’re chasing our tails trying to fix this problem.
basic
After hours of emails, I realized I was just chasing my tail and nothing got done.
natural
You can chase your tail all day, but unless you focus, nothing will change.
natural
I feel like I’m chasing my tail with all these chores and never finish anything.
natural