go nowhere
verb1
Idiomatic To fail to progress, to fail to attain a favorable result or outcome.
- This project is going nowhere.
- The negotiations went nowhere.
1 more example
- The 20 miles [from Okehampton] to Bere Alston, via the growing town of Tavistock, is crying out to be reopened for many reasons, but it is unlikely to happen any time soon. Returning just the six miles from Bere Alston to Tavistock has been mooted, but again it seems to be going nowhere very slowly.2025 November 12, 'Mystery Shopper', “Is Devon the cream of the crop?”, in RAIL, number 1048, page 47:
- Synonyms
- go nowhere fast
- Related terms
- tread water