waste breath en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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(idiomatic) To speak in a manner which is needless or futile; to make points in discussion or argument which are not appreciated or heeded.
"Please don't waste your breath asking me ridiculous questions," he says.
2009 May 19, “Akshay jealous of Sanjay's tattoos”, in Times of India, retrieved 14 Jun 2009:Why waste breath saying self-evident things?
1906, John Kendrick Bangs, chapter 1, in R. Holmes & Co.:Middleton and Paul saw no use in wasting their breath in remonstrances against this proposal.
1827, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 24, in The Prairie:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| wasted breath | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| wasted breath | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| wastes breath | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| wasting breath | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Relateds
like talking to a wall · waste of breath
Translations (15)
gl gastar saliva (to speak futilely) · yue 嘥氣 /嘥气 (to speak futilely) · de Atem verschwenden (to speak futilely) · ru говори́ть на ве́тер (to speak futilely) · pl szkoda słów (to speak futilely) · pt gastar saliva (to speak futilely) · fi puhua joutavia (to speak futilely) · hy դատարկ խոսել (to speak futilely) · es gastar saliva (to speak futilely) · cmn 白說 /白说 (to speak futilely) · is eyða orku í (to speak futilely) · is eyða orku (to speak futilely) · fr perdre sa salive (to speak futilely) · fr gaspiller sa salive (to speak futilely) · it sprecar fiato (to speak futilely)