chase your (own) tail
US /tʃeɪs jʊər oʊn teɪl/
UK /tʃeɪs jʊər oʊn teɪl/
1.
to spend a lot of time and effort doing something that achieves nothing
:
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We've been chasing our tails all day trying to fix this bug, but we're no closer to a solution.
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If you keep chasing your tail with minor issues, you'll never get the main project done.