to pound sand

To engage in a futile activity
idiomatic) To engage in a futile activity.


futile

ADJECTIVE
incapable of producing any useful result; pointless:
"a futile attempt to keep fans from mounting the stage"
SIMILAR:
fruitless
vain
pointless
useless
worthless
ineffectual
ineffective
inefficacious
in vain


Translate futile to

adjective
vergeblichen
zwecklos

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Fani Willis Tells Jim Jordan to Pound Sand in Scathing Letter: ‘You Are Abusing Your Authority’

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What Does Pound Sand Mean?


October 2, 2020

Common Phrases
The expression pound sand appears to be a uniquely American saying, one perhaps most widely used in the Midwestern United States. Hearing or reading it likely conjures up an image of someone beating or striking sand in some way, say with a shovel. But is that really what it’s about? Not exactly. As an idiom, the phrase has a figurative rather than literal meaning—rather, meanings. Keep reading to learn more.


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What Does Pound Sand Mean?
Today, pound sand is used in one of two ways:


To describe partaking in a futile, or pointless, activity
To tell someone to get lost; to dismiss them and send them away
If you think about it, the first usage makes good sense. Pounding sand is completely pointless. After all, the primary definition of pound as a verb is “to reduce to powder or pulp by beating,” and sand is already a fine powder! Beating it isn’t going to change it in any way—if you pound sand for an hour, after 60 minutes, you’ll be left with exactly what you had when you began: sand. You will have accomplished nothing and wasted your time, and you’ll likely feel contempt or disdain for the menial task to boot.

Actually, the second usage has a great deal to do with the first. It’s used to dismiss someone—to tell them to go away. You can think of it like this: If someone’s bothering you or annoying you and you want them to leave you alone, and you tell them to pound sound, you’re telling them to go occupy themselves in some other way, like with a pointless, menial task such as pounding sand, which will take up their time and get them out of your hair and off your back. You’re also expressing your contempt or disdain for them in that moment, maybe even seeing them as stupid or inferior (as someone who would do something pointless like pound sand and not question it). When you tell someone to pound sand or go pound sand (as is often said), it’s like using the phrases buzz off, get lost, or even go to hell; other similar expressions include go jump in a lake, go fly a kite, and go play in traffic. 

Here are some example sentences using versions of the idiomatic expression pound sand:

My little brother was getting on my nerves so badly this morning, following me everywhere I went while asking me all kinds of silly questions. I finally told him to go pound sand!
Yesterday, my boss asked me to “clean up” the cabinets of office files. But I told her it would be like pounding sand—that the files were all for current clients, and they were already alphabetized correctly. I knew it would be a waste of my time.
I wish you’d just pound sand, Sarah, and stop hounding me about what happened with my breakup. It’s none of your business.
I work a dead-end job that feels like pounding sand: The tasks are menial, and there’s no opportunity for growth.