wild goose chase的词源

英文词源

wild goose chase (n.)

1592, first attested in "Romeo and Juliet," where it evidently is a figurative use of an earlier (but unrecorded) literal sense in reference to a kind of follow-the-leader steeplechase. Wild goose (as opposed to a domesticated one) is attested in late Old English (wilde gos).

中文词源

wild goose chase：徒劳的寻找，白费力气的追逐

比喻用法，因为野鹅是一种很难抓到的禽鸟，因而引申此义。比较snipe hunt,徒劳的行为，词源同sniper(狙击手)。

该词的英语词源请访问找单词词源英文版：wild goose chase 词源，wild goose chase 含义。