polish a turd

present singular third person polishes a turd · participle present polishing a turd · participle past polished a turd · past polished a turd

1. idiomaticvulgarTo work on a time-consuming and ultimately pointless or impossible task; to try to perfect what is inherently bad.

   Near-synonym: put lipstick on a pig

   1 more example

   Demaso, trying hard to scrub a wall behind one of the toilets, started complaining how dirty the walls in the entire bathroom were. Tripp also chimed in that they were polishing a turd and that what the bathroom needed was a fresh coat of paint.

   2006, Michael Fak, Portions of a Life: Recollections and Reflections, page 197

   Synonyms: put lipstick on a pig