I am looking for a words for a thing in which you invest a lot of time but don't gain anything. For example using whatsapp.
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9I would say stackexchange.com.– Hot LicksCommented Jul 17, 2016 at 19:48
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English equivalent for the Persian idiom “send someone out in pursuit of black chickpeas” lists “wild goose chase,” “snipe hunt,” “fool’s errand,” and others.– Scott - Слава УкраїніCommented Jul 17, 2016 at 20:54
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Another similar question: What is a witty synonym for the phrase “waste of time?”– herissonCommented Jul 18, 2016 at 0:32
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1@sumelic ~ Even Hot Licks's comment is a duplicate. What a strange phenomenon.– user180089Commented Jul 18, 2016 at 1:07
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4 Answers
Timesink is a word that is going to convey both the investment of time as well as the futility.
It is usually used in the case of, for example, a video game, and would work in your situation as well.
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1Please don't answer questions that are duplicates, and that clearly already show that answer– user180089Commented Jul 18, 2016 at 1:06
Distraction - a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.
Vain - producing no result; useless.
Try "boondoggle." A "boondoggle" is an unnecessary or wasteful project.
You might also try "black hole." When used figuratively, a black hole is something that you can invest endless resources into--time, money, whatever--and they will completely disappear without any kind of pay off or coming to any kind of gain.
In a work environment, say if you were investigating a issues, you could lose a lot of time going down a rat hole or rabbit hole
See this old question :
