как об стенку горохом

• КАК ОБ <В> СТЕНКУ <ОБ СТЕНУ, ОБ СТЕНУ, В СТЕНУ> ГОРОХ <ГОРОХОМ>; КАК ОТ СТЕНКИ <ОТ СТЕНЫ> ГОРОХ; ЧТО СТЕНЕ <СТЕНКЕ> ГОРОХ all coll. disapprov

[как + PrepP or что + NP; these forms only; usu. subj-compl with copula (subj: abstr, often всё, infin, or a clause); fixed WO]

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⇒ all requests (orders etc) are ignored, disregarded by s.o.; all attempts to persuade s.o. to do sth. or to change his mode of behavior produce no results, have no effect on s.o.:

- (it's) like beating (banging) your (one's) head against the wall (a wall, a brick wall, a stone wall);

- (it's) like talking to the wall (a brick wall);

- you might as well beat (bang) your head against a wall (a brick wall, a stone wall);

- you might as well talk to the wall (a wall, a brick wall).

     ♦ Обо всём этом ему [Наделашину] говорилось тогда же. Но Наделашину сколько ни говори - всё как об стенку горох (Солженицын 3). Не [Nadelashin] had been told about it at the time. But no matter how often one spoke to Nadelashin, it was like beating one's head against a stone wall (3a).

     ♦ "Пробовал я договориться с этим Големом - как об стену горох..." (Стругацкие 1). "I tried to come to an agreement with this Golem. It's like talking to a brick wall" (1a).

     ♦ "Осторожно. Скользко тут. Сколько раз говорила, чтобы не выливали помоев перед дверью, - как об стену горох" (Пастернак 1). "Careful - it's slippery. I don't know how many times I've told them not to throw the slops out of the door - might as well talk to a wall" (1a).