nail Jell-O to a tree

English

Alternative forms

• nail Jell-O to a wall

Pronunciation

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Verb

nail Jell-O to a tree (third-person singular simple present nails Jell-O to a tree, present participle nailing Jell-O to a tree, simple past and past participle nailed Jell-O to a tree)

1. (US, slang, rare) To do something that is impossible or very difficult, with connotations of pointlessness.

   They are asking us to nail Jell-O to a tree if they insist on having everything done in three days.

Usage notes

Also used in the common variant to a wall, and with jello in place of Jell-O. British form uses jelly instead. Particularly used in the form like nailing jello to a wall.

See also

• Thesaurus:difficult