blind alley

• Eine Situation oder ein Vorgehen, das zu keinem nutzbringenden Ergebnis oder Fortschritt führt; eine Sackgasse im übertragenen Sinn. Auch eine Straße, die nur an einem Ende einen Ausgang hat.

A situation or course of action that leads to no useful result or progress; a dead end.

1. Dead-end streetB1formal

   A street or passage that is closed at one end, with no way through.

   Sackgasse

   • The taxi driver turned into a blind alley and had to reverse out.
   • The map showed a blind alley behind the old church.
   • They built a house at the end of a quiet blind alley.

2. Futile course of actionB2informal

   A line of thinking or action that leads to no useful result or progress.

   Sackgasse

   • The investigation turned out to be a blind alley.
   • Pursuing that theory was a blind alley for the researchers.
   • His career in that field proved to be a blind alley.