How to Memorize

speaking to them is like banging your head against the wall

Analysis

This idiom is mainly used to express frustration at one's fruitless efforts to do or achieve something, especially something highly unlikely, if not impossible. It emphasizes both your frustration and the pointlessness of what you are attempting and is particularly common in the context of trying (unsuccessfully) to get somebody else to do something. It is important to note that the failure to succeed associated with this term is usually not down to a lack of hard work or skill, as already mentioned; it is more about the impossibility of the task you set yourself in the first place. The term is common in both a social and professional context.

Social Examples (Basic)

1. I've asked Janice repeatedly not to keep leaving the front door unlocked, but it's like beating your head against a wall.

Professional Examples (Basic)

1. I made several constructive suggestions about how the task should be executed, but no one listened. It felt like I was just banging my head against the wall.
2. Trying to get everyone on a committee to agree to something is like hitting your head against a wall.

Further Suggestions