snipe hunt

• Розыгрыш или бессмысленная погоня, при которой неопытного человека отправляют на бесплодные поиски несуществующего существа; часто используется метафорически для описания любого бессмысленного или обманчивого занятия.

A practical joke or wild goose chase where an inexperienced person is sent on a futile search for a nonexistent creature, often used metaphorically to describe any pointless or deceptive pursuit.

1. A practical joke or wild goose chaseB2informalamerican

   A prank where an unsuspecting person is sent on a futile search for a non-existent creature (a snipe), often as a form of initiation or amusement.

   Розыгрыш или бессмысленная затея

   • The camp counselors sent the new kid on a snipe hunt as a joke.
   • He realized it was a snipe hunt when he couldn't find any evidence of the bird.
   • Snipe hunts are a classic summer camp tradition.

2. A futile or impossible taskB2informalamerican

   Any activity that is pointless, impossible to achieve, or designed to waste someone's time.

   Бесполезное занятие

   • Trying to find a parking spot downtown on a Saturday is a snipe hunt.
   • The project turned out to be a snipe hunt; we never found the data we needed.
   • Don't send me on a snipe hunt for that outdated document.