waste one's breath



waste one's breath

Speak in vain (because no one agrees), as in Don't waste your breath complaining to the supervisor-it won't help. This notion was first recorded about 1400 as wasting words. The exact idiom was first recorded in 1667. Also see save one's breath.
See also: breath, waste

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Tielo-Medieval German
Kerr-Scottish, English (Rare)
Balbino-Spanish (Rare), Portuguese (Rare), Italian (Rare)
Monat-Irish
Yukikoyoo-kee-koJapanese
Evgenija-Macedonian