Meanings
- UKNever-ending; said of a task which will never be completed due to the perpetual cycle of having to recommence as soon as one has reached the end, or of efforts that are in vain because of this.
Weeding can feel like painting the Forth Bridge—by the time you finish, it’s time to start again.
2017 April 29, Alys Fowler, “How to win the war on weeds”, in The Guardian1 more example
Where only an overview has been given, I hope that the book will provide a useful springboard and the appropriate legal advice is sought. The revision has been rather like painting the Forth Bridge and whilst every effort has been made to bring the law as up to date as possible, events often overtake one and a keen eye should be kept on the construction journals and newspapers.
2014, Stephanie Owen, J. R. Lewis, Law for the Construction Industry, page viiiSynonyms: Sisyphean
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseNever-ending; said of a task which will never be completed due to the perpetual cycle of having to recommence as soon as one has reached the end, or of efforts that are in vain because of this.
Origin
The bridge across the Firth of Forth was in a continuous state of being painted (until finished in 2011, 122 years after its completion): (owing to its large size) as soon as one end was reached, it was time to begin all over again.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
like painting the Forth Bridge. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/like%20painting%20the%20Forth%20Bridge
“like painting the Forth Bridge.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/like%20painting%20the%20Forth%20Bridge. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “like painting the Forth Bridge,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/like%20painting%20the%20Forth%20Bridge.
Source: like painting the Forth Bridge on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.