To put a spoke in a person's wheel — to spoil his plans

In your own best interests perhaps I should put a spoke in your wheel. (C. S.) He ought perhaps to have put a spoke in the wheel of their marriage; they were too young.... (J. G.) Icould have easily finished the experiments if they had not put a spoke in my wheel. (K. H.)

Waste is variously expressed by these colloquial phrases: Wasting effort:

a wild-goose chase — a practically hopeless pursuit or search; a foolish and useless enterprise

Wolfe knew that the Colonel was remembering that he had sent Michaelmas on a wild-goose chase; but it was a small consideration now. (S. A.) The Colonel shook his head. "He is the best man I've got. I don't like sending him on a wild-goose chase." (S. A.)

I hope you won't insist on my starting off on a wild-goose chase. (St.)

I hope you won't insist on my starting off on a wild-goose chase after the fellow now. (B. Sh.) "I wish now they'd found him in the river." "They may still; this is a bit of a wild-goose chase." (J. G.)

to flog (beat) a dead horse — to waste energy

We discussed some incidents that had happened long ago, it was really flogging a dead horse.

(K. H.)

I'm flogging a dead horse, (i. e. wasting my ener­gies) (W. B.)

to carry coals to Newcastle — to do something which is unnecessary; to use one's effort uneconomically

To write another book on the same topic means to carry coals to Newcastle. (K. H.)

Sending a can of olives to Greece would be like carrying coals to Newcastle. (W. B.)

Wasting one's breath (words), i. e. talking uselessly, is

described in this way:

I might as well talk to a brick wall. I might as well save

my breath. (What I say has no effect.) My words fall on

deaf ears. (Nobody listens to me.)

What I say goes in at one ear and out of the other. (You

don't listen to me.)

"So that's your line?" she said. "You're wasting

your breath on me." (V. L.)

It's no use talking to Tuppy. You might as well

talk to a brick wall. (0. W.)

The information went in one ear of Lola and out

of the other. (Th. D.)

I might as well save my breath, for all the notice

they take of me. (W. B.)

Wasting money:

to play (make) ducks and drakes with one's money — to

waste money; spend it extravagantly

He played ducks and drakes with his money in­stead of paying the family's debts. (K. H.) He soon made ducks and drakes of what I'd left him. (W. B.)

to go down the drain — to be wasted

"All right, all right, " Connie answered. "What's wrong with me paying for myself if it all goes down the drain?" (N. C.) My £100 has all gone down the drain. (W. B.) That's another £50 down the drain! (W. B.) And it was his second evening of revision... that went down the drain as he said it. (N. C.)

A proverbial warning against extravagance and wasteful­ness:

Waste not; want not. (Be economical and careful, then you may never be in need.)

3 B. B. Сытель 65

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