# Idioms relating to things impossible, inadvisable or otherwise to be avoided. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 30, 2008, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119 "2008-05-30T10:57:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/1 "2008-05-30T10:57:26Z")
It’s bad, but it’s better than watching the grass grow (or watching paint dry). And there’s no point reinventing the wheel, or using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. I’m working on a project that requires a compiled collection of popular phrases and idioms along the general lines of the above… anyone care to contribute? ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/2 "2008-05-30T11:06:39Z")
Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/3 "2008-05-30T11:20:06Z")
I’m not going to touch this OP with a ten foot pole. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/4 "2008-05-30T11:22:05Z")
English only or can we go exotic? A Spanish one: “to be more lost than an octopus in a garage.” It can be used when someone is literally lost or at a loss. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/5 "2008-05-30T11:26:40Z")
All suggestions are welcome (I won’t be able to use them all in the project - about which more later, I promise), although I am looking more for action-related idioms than the octopus thing (which, however, is interesting, so thanks for bringing it). ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/6 "2008-05-30T11:30:16Z")
Huh, **kferr** got there first with the sharp stick. Still, that’s better than a slap in the face with a wet fish. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/7 "2008-05-30T12:07:55Z")
We need this OP about as much as we need a hole in the head, and quite frankly, I’d rather gouge out my eyeballs with a rusty spoon. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/8 "2008-05-30T12:13:28Z")
It’s a small world - but I wouldn’t want to paint it. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/9 "2008-05-30T12:31:34Z")
At least you’re not trying to collect all of them – that’d be like pushing on a string, or pissing up a rope. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/10 "2008-05-30T12:34:06Z")
It’s better than being kicked in the head by a mule. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/11 "2008-05-30T12:44:52Z")
It’s no harder than pulling teeth – as easy as catching a greased pig. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/12 "2008-05-30T12:53:20Z")
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lovely_Margo_Lane)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/13 "2008-05-30T13:43:33Z")
Dopers sure like to compare things to herding cats, but getting a comprehensive list of these dealies might be just a bit easier than nailing jello to the wall. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/14 "2008-05-30T13:47:37Z")
Don’t use a cannon to kill a mosquito. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/15 "2008-05-30T13:52:20Z")
Oooh, I just thought of one: You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Also, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/16 "2008-05-30T14:03:26Z")
Replying to this thread is as easy as taking candy from a baby. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/17 "2008-05-30T14:05:31Z")
[QUOTE=postcards] Replying to this thread is as easy as taking candy from a baby. [/QUOTE] Ah, but that’s the opposite of what I want - taking candy from a baby is _easy_ - unlike, say, selling ice to Eskimos. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/18 "2008-05-30T14:14:24Z")
I’d rather slide down a 50 foot razorblade into a pool of salt water than reply to this thread. ---
**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/19 "2008-05-30T14:51:40Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Ah, but that’s the opposite of what I want - taking candy from a baby is _easy_ - unlike, say, selling ice to Eskimos. [/QUOTE] You could try selling used matches. Or sell spats to a snake, if you’re looking for something really futile. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119/20 "2008-05-30T15:05:56Z")
This road is as rough as a washboard. Around here it’s: As hard as selling a fridge to an Eskimo. Getting a straight answer from you is as hard as skinning a cat. You’re as bright as a burned out bulb. You’re as worn as the bone the dog brought home. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idioms-relating-to-things-impossible-inadvisable-or-otherwise-to-be-avoided/451119.md?page=2)