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On a hiding to nothing

On a hiding to nothing

Meaning

Faced with a hopeless situation, even after making one’s best efforts.

Examples

We knew that our trip to Australia was a hiding to nothing. We had to play with jet lag and they had a much stronger team anyway.

Where did it originate?

Britain, early 1900s.

Where is it used?

Worldwide.

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About the Author

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
On a hiding to nothing

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