wild-goose chasefoolish or hopeless search, eg for sth or sb that does not exist or can only be found elsewhere 愚蠢的或毫无希望的追寻（如寻找的事物或人并不存在或在他处者） The hoaxer had sent the police on a wild-goose chase. 那个捣蛋的人让警方白白搜索了一番.
牛津英汉双解词典