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Jamesy
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13 Nov 2022, 12:53 pm

Does the phrase ‘A hiding to nothing’ have a similar meaning to “You don’t stand a chance?”



naturalplastic
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13 Nov 2022, 1:08 pm

Never heard the expression "a hiding to nothing".

Maybe its some common Brit expression. But its not heard here in the US.



Last edited by naturalplastic on 13 Nov 2022, 1:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Radish
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13 Nov 2022, 1:09 pm

More or less, but I'd say hiding to nothing maybe implies more effort being put in or pain felt before the expected failure/loss.


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Last edited by Radish on 13 Nov 2022, 1:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Radish
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13 Nov 2022, 1:10 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
Never heard the expression "a hiding to nothing".


It is a common expression here in the UK.


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Jamesy
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13 Nov 2022, 1:16 pm

I am on a ‘hiding to nothing’ trying to hook up with women in bars/nightclubs on the weekend :roll:



Radish
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13 Nov 2022, 1:36 pm

Examples with the lottery. Buying a one-off ticket you don't stand a chance of getting the big win. But if you keep throwing more and more money away that you could ill afford, buying more and more lottery tickets in the hope of the big win you'd be on a hiding to nothing.


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naturalplastic
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13 Nov 2022, 2:59 pm

What a weird and klutzy expression!

Its an ungrammatical sentence. If taken literally it means nothing at all.

Hiding....to....nothing.

The "nothing" part makes sense. Because that would be your payoff. Nothing.

But 'hiding'? What does THAT have to do with it?

Hiding, concealment, being secretive... none of those things are involved (if you two are using the expression right).

you're not 'hiding' anything. you're making a 'bad investment' in effort, or money, or whatever the case.



Last edited by naturalplastic on 13 Nov 2022, 5:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Radish
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13 Nov 2022, 3:51 pm

^ I guess it means hiding as in beating. In other words you are subjugating yourself to harm but will likely get nothing in return for your sacrifice.


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temp1234
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13 Nov 2022, 4:38 pm

Never heard that expression here, either. Very strange expression.


Jamesy wrote:
I am on a ‘hiding to nothing’ trying to hook up with women in bars/nightclubs on the weekend :roll:
You are trying it in wrong places. You'd only find wrong types of women in bars/nightclubs.



naturalplastic
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13 Nov 2022, 4:59 pm

temp1234 wrote:
Never heard that expression here, either. Very strange expression.


Jamesy wrote:
I am on a ‘hiding to nothing’ trying to hook up with women in bars/nightclubs on the weekend :roll:
You are trying it in wrong places. You'd only find wrong types of women in bars/nightclubs.


Now I cant NOT think of this country classic :D .


https://youtu.be/FAyDmJvjxbg



Last edited by naturalplastic on 13 Nov 2022, 5:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

lostonearth35
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13 Nov 2022, 5:03 pm

I've never heard of the first phrase. But then again people from different countries use expressions that I've never heard of and get confused by all the time. For example, not long ago someone used the phrase "threw a wobbly", and at first I had this mental image of someone throwing a Weeble or some other toy that wobbles but doesn't fall down. :lol:
Then I realized it must mean the same as to "throw a fit", as in losing one's temper.



naturalplastic
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13 Nov 2022, 7:49 pm

lostonearth35 wrote:
I've never heard of the first phrase. But then again people from different countries use expressions that I've never heard of and get confused by all the time. For example, not long ago someone used the phrase "threw a wobbly", and at first I had this mental image of someone throwing a Weeble or some other toy that wobbles but doesn't fall down. :lol:
Then I realized it must mean the same as to "throw a fit", as in losing one's temper.


But at least "throwing a wobbly" makes sense once you know what a wobbly is.

"Hiding ...TO...nothing" is both semantic, and syntactic nonsense.

Semantic nonsense because you're not hiding anything, and syntactic nonsense because its ungrammatical.