In my mind, there's nothing that conveys the exact meaning of 'wild goose chase' per se. The only thing that might come close is something I hear people from Mexico say quite often which is, 'de oquis.' It just means that you do something in vain which I guess is kind of the same thing.

What about "Me enviaste a cazar gamusinos"? It is a rather humorous expression, but its meaning is close.

I had to wade through a wikipedia entry en español to figure it out, but a gamusino would be a snipe in English. What was described was basically a snipe hunt.

I had to wade through a wikipedia entry en español to figure it out, but a gamusino would be a snipe in English. What was described was basically a snipe hunt.

Wondering the same thing as Steve: what IS a gamusino? Not in our site dictionary. RAE dictionary says:

gamusino.

1. m. Animal imaginario, cuyo nombre se usa para dar bromas a los cazadores novatos.

Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados

Natasha said:

Wondering the same thing as Steve: what IS a gamusino? Not in our site dictionary. RAE dictionary says:

gamusino.

1. m. Animal imaginario, cuyo nombre se usa para dar bromas a los cazadores novatos.

Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados
As steve suggested, a "snipe". The RAE definition translated directly into English would make a fine definition for sinpe (and snipe hunt).

Well, snipe hunt may be a good translation of the phrase, but a snipe is by no means an imaginary animal.

samdie said:

Natasha said:

Wondering the same thing as Steve: what IS a gamusino? Not in our site dictionary. RAE dictionary says: gamusino.

1. m. Animal imaginario, cuyo nombre se usa para dar bromas a los cazadores novatos.

Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados

As steve suggested, a "snipe". The RAE definition translated directly into English would make a fine definition for sinpe (and snipe hunt).

>

Sí, y las bromas son los mismos que los snipe hunts en los estados unidos. Wikipedia tiene detallas de las búsquedas.

Natasha said:

Wondering the same thing as Steve: what IS a gamusino? Not in our site dictionary. RAE dictionary says:

gamusino.

1. m. Animal imaginario, cuyo nombre se usa para dar bromas a los cazadores novatos.

Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados

>

Natasha said:

Well, snipe hunt may be a good translation of the phrase, but a snipe is by no means an imaginary animal.
Shorebirds, notwithstanding, in the context of a "snipe hunt" the supposed quarry is imaginary. Check out "snipe hunt" in Wikipedia (for which you have expressed a certain fondness).

I had looked in Wikipedia, under "snipe". Under "snipe hunt", it says:

Incidentally, the snipe (a family of shorebirds) is difficult to catch for experienced hunters, so much so that the word "sniper" is derived from it to refer to anyone skilled enough to shoot one.

(I'm no fan of Wikipedia, but it's free -- and I can't afford to subscribe to a more "legitimate" encyclopedia.)

I wasn't intending to disagree with Steve's definition, only add to it.

samdie said:

Natasha said:

Well, snipe hunt may be a good translation of the phrase, but a snipe is by no means an imaginary animal.

Shorebirds, notwithstanding, in the context of a "snipe hunt" the supposed quarry is imaginary. Check out "snipe hunt" in Wikipedia (for which you have expressed a certain fondness).

>

I realize that the snipe is an actual creature, but in the minds of the vast majority of campers taken on snipe hunts as children, and in the minds of the practical jokers(usually scoutmasters) they are indeed imaginary, even mythological creatures. The only time they will ever hear of a snipe is in the context of a snipe hunt. Funny how the same things happen almost everywhere. My Bengali stepfather tells Sikh jokes, and they are the same jokes we told in Texas as Aggie jokes, and are told in oyther parts of the country as Polack jokes etc...,

samdie said:

Natasha said:

Well, snipe hunt may be a good translation of the phrase, but a snipe is by no means an imaginary animal.

Shorebirds, notwithstanding, in the context of a "snipe hunt" the supposed quarry is imaginary. Check out "snipe hunt" in Wikipedia (for which you have expressed a certain fondness).

>

Just to confirm what Steve says, snipe hunting is an old tradition in the Boy Scouts. Tenderfeet are sent out on this important mission, and are told not to come back until they have found one and flushed it out to be shot. Of course, the older boys remain at the camp laughing at their younger friends.

In this sense, a snipe hunt is very similar to a wild goose chase, but the two phrases are never used in the same context. The former is, in my experience, never used metaphorically, while the latter is used almost exclusively in that way.

Natasha said:

Wondering the same thing as Steve: what IS a gamusino?

Never eaten gamusino before? What do you have for lunch on April Fool's day then?

From the dictionary Manuel Seco:

gamusino m Animal imaginario del que se habla humorísticamente. Quien va a matar dragones, o gamusinos, y viene de vacío, podrá después contarlo.

Ha ha. I usually end up eating crow . . .

lazarus1907 said:

Natasha said:

Wondering the same thing as Steve: what IS a gamusino?

Never eaten gamusino before? What do you have for lunch on April Fool's day then?

From the dictionary Manuel Seco:

gamusino m Animal imaginario del que se habla humorísticamente. Quien va a matar dragones, o gamusinos, y viene de vacío, podrá después contarlo.

>

Quien va a matar dragones, o gamusinos, y viene de vacío, podrá después contarlo.

And now I know how to say "comes back empty-handed"!