Wild Goose Chase
Whether you're a student of etymology or you don't even know what that word means, tell us how you think this animal expression originated. We'll post the most accurate as well as the most inventive. Email your answer to when_pigs@discovery.com.
French royalty would play dirty tricks on the poor country peasants by sending them on a journey to pluck feathers from a wild goose to fill their luxurious thrones, not knowing that all geese in France were already domesticated to fill the fat bellies of the rich and royal. This was a running joke until the peasants figured out what was going on. Thus, the poor French peasants coined the original term: "They sent us on a wild goose chase to fill their wild goose chaise". As a side note, Marie Antoinette's statement, "Let them eat cake" was really meant for the geese and not the hungry peasants. Now you know the real reason for the French revolution.
—palmdesertguy1
Whilest the other authors have offered imaginative theories on this expression, my dear Granny Williamson from Glasgow told me the authentic Scots truth. Young men would gather at county fairs to chase an untamed goose through a muddy slippery obstacle course lunging at a fluttering. honking, hissing goose. The first to catch and wring its neck, would be proclaimed "Good for the Goose" and be eligible to wed the village's most desirable virgin, which brings us to the next expression, "Good for the Gander."
—PaTaLim
Game of chasing and catching geese. Originated in midwest, North America.
—George-Kathy
Originally from the Goosey-Loosey tribes of outer Mongolia. It means to go from place to place, willy-nilly, searching for, and not finding, something. Developed from the wild goose-hunts of the Goosey-Loosey', which were never very successful!
—elfchess
In Ancient Rome, there was a wise man who was very popular with the king because he knew many old and mysterious games and riddles. The wise man would occasionally explain one of these games or riddles to the king to keep him happy and occupied. One day this learned man became weary of his task after many long years of faithful servitude and decided to send the foolish king on a game quest that would take him forever. Thus leaving his kingdom in the care of the wise man. He told the king of a hunt that was so extraordinarily difficult and romantic, no one had every completed it. The hunt was for the wild golden goose, whose taste was superior to anything on earth. He appropriately equipped the king with a golden bow and silver arrows and sent him out to hunt, riding a black pony, for this was how the hunt was done. Of course, the king, foolish as he was, continued to hunt for the rest of his days without success and the wise man ruled his kingdom with a superior knowledge and a gentle heart.
—IrishYndina
This phrase originates from a horse race in which each horse and rider must follow behind the one ahead of him, like Follow the Leader. The horses also had to stay a certain distance apart, as geese flying in formation would do. Hence the phrase wild goose chase.
—mhartman777
In ancient Rome, the emperor had a love for roasted goose. He wanted it every meal. The cook had used all the domesticated geese in the kingdom, so was sent on a quest to capture a wild goose for the emperor's dinner. Try as he may, though, he couldn't catch one. Hence he was sent on a wild goose chase. It has come to signify any task which is futile.
—pamella314
It means expending energy uselessly and originated Ireland. When parents wanted to discipline their children, they would send them out into the woods to chase a goose until they became exhausted.
—honey_homebody
Originated from the dixie chicks song.
—diva_chick07
This expression is from an old fable that illustrates man's greediness. In the hopes of finding the magic goose and becoming wealthy, a villager was repeatedly lead astray and regretfully committed horrible acts against his neighbors.
—ljven
There was a goose that was very special because he could talk, and someone heard it say "I'm a wild goose and I am being chased!" This person thought it was a god phrase so he started saying it and it caught on. That was the last day the special goose spoke.
—Teeniebud
Refers to walking geese to market on foot in the old days. (In England of course!)
—letters
I know that, Shakespeare wrote of "the wild goose chase," in Romeo and Juliet in the late 16th century, so it's been around for a while. I assume back then you just didn't hear the honking of geese in flight and grab your shotgun and voila — dinner. It became a race or hunt that couldn't be won. By the time you heard the goose, he was long gone.
—JGDeacon
In prehistoric times when wild geese didn't exist, dinosaurs would go around looking for the "alleged" elusive wild geese, well known for their ambrosial, luscious hypothetical meat. These chases were very emotionally and mentally taxing to the dinosaurs and often led to their death as they found themselves stuck inextricably in quagmires, vines, ferns, pits, holes, craters etc. after years, months or seconds of goose-less searching. Also they were a species who could not tolerate such mind games and ego blows from diminutive, alleged, evolving things so soon the dinosaurs became extinct. Much later paleontologists discovered this astounding cause of their death and as an ominous warning the phrase "wild goose chase" came into being so that every living creature henceforth should know that wild geese are evil and not to be chased.
—Scul2
Associated with the old pastime of letting a goose run wild and catching it with your bare hands for sport. The first person to catch the goose wins!
—OperaDivo
The saying wild goose chase comes from past experiences of people having to chase wild geese for food. They were difficult to catch and often the people would come home with nothing to show for their efforts. "No dinner tonight, dear, I was on a wild goose chase."
—kristenef
The origin goes back to 16th century England where a kind of horse race was invented. This consisted of a lead horse going off in any direction the rider chose; other riders had to follow at precise intervals, like wild geese following their leader. At first the saying implied an erratic course taken by one person and followed by another, and was so used by Shakespeare, but the meaning changed over the years to take on the current one of a useless or hopeless quest.
—malcolm.sargent
Originated from practice of decapitating a goose. It would continue to flap around the barnyard and you have to chase it down.
—cpaxton
Originated from a contest that was held in early times as amusement on holidays in conjuction with a turkey shoot.
—ravenwho
People say that they are going on a wild goose chase if they think that they can't complete the task that they want to complete. Back in the old days people would try to catch geese but they always failed.
—cyberj1221
I suppose geese are really hard to catch, so chasing them becomes wild.
—invischick92501
Everyone knows that chasing a wild goose is a lot more difficult than chasing a tame goose. Wild geese are better at hiding than tame ones; therefore, if you go on a wild goose chase, you might be in for a long drawn out process!
—utohfiveo
For the origianal Thanksgiving meal, the Pilgrams wanted to have the very best meal to eat. They knew from their time in England and across Europe that goose was the most tender and juicy meat they knew. However, since Thanksgiving was in the winter, all the geese had migrated south for the winter. They tried desperately to find one — but none could be found. From that, the phrase wild goose chase came about because the object to be found cannot be found.
—fitpanther
A contest held to see who could catch a wild goose with their bare hands. —amcmanus
Wild geese are critters with wings. They are migratory birds and don't stay in the same place very long. Chased, they take to wing and proceed further along their migration, just over the horizon where one can never quite get to them.
—redriveraz
