A futile pursuit or search for something unattainable or non-existent. A pointless or hopeless endeavor.
This phrase was coined by Shakespeare in 'Romeo and Juliet' (1597), where it referred to a type of horse race where riders followed a lead horse in formation, like geese flying. Over time, the meaning shifted from an organized following to a pointless pursuit, possibly because wild geese are notoriously difficult to catch.
Shakespeare invented this phrase, but he meant something completely different by it! His 'wild goose chase' was actually an organized, skillful activity, not the futile pursuit we mean today. The semantic shift from 'following in formation' to 'chasing uselessly' shows how even Shakespeare's words can evolve beyond his intentions.
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