waste your breath

waste your breath
waste (your) breath to say something that is likely to be ignored.

You'd be wasting your breath reporting it to the police because they don't look for stolen bikes, even expensive ones.

Usage notes: often used in the form don't waste your breath:

Don't waste your breath — I've already asked her to help and she said no.


New idioms dictionary. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • waste your breath — see ↑breath • • • Main Entry: ↑waste * * * waste your ˈbreath idiom to say sth that nobody takes any notice of Main entry: ↑wasteidiom …   Useful english dictionary

  • don't waste your breath — spoken 1) used for telling someone not to try to persuade someone else, because they will never succeed Don t waste your breath arguing with him. 2) used for telling someone that they should not give advice to a person because that person will… …   English dictionary

  • (a) waste of breath — waste (your) breath to tell or ask someone something although this will have no effect. I could try and persuade her to stay, but it would probably be a waste of breath …   New idioms dictionary

  • don't waste your breath — …   Useful english dictionary

  • save your breath —    If you tell someone to save their breath, you are telling them not to waste their time speaking because their words will have no effect.     I ve already given him the same advice and he won t listen, so you might as well save your breath …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • breath — W2S3 [breθ] n [: Old English; Origin: brAth] 1.) a) [U] the air that you send out of your lungs when you breathe ▪ Leo could smell the wine on her breath. ▪ Let your breath out slowly. ▪ He s got bad breath (=breath that smells unpleasant) …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • waste breath — waste (your) breath to say something that is likely to be ignored. You d be wasting your breath reporting it to the police because they don t look for stolen bikes, even expensive ones. Usage notes: often used in the form don t waste your breath …   New idioms dictionary

  • waste one's breath — {v. phr.} To speak or to argue with no result; do nothing by talking. * /The teacher saw that she was wasting her breath; the children refused to believe her./ * /I know what I want. You re wasting your breath./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • waste one's breath — {v. phr.} To speak or to argue with no result; do nothing by talking. * /The teacher saw that she was wasting her breath; the children refused to believe her./ * /I know what I want. You re wasting your breath./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • breath — [ breθ ] noun count or uncount *** the air that goes in and out of your body through your nose or mouth: He could feel her warm breath on his face. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol. a. the act of getting air into your lungs by breathing:… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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