spin (your) wheels

to use a lot of effort but not get anything done.

For almost an hour now he had been spinning his wheels, accomplishing nothing.

Seattle was spinning wheels while Texas beat New York to take a two-game lead in the division.

• catch death of cold!
• catch eye
• catch hell
• catch in the act
• catch it
• catch napping
• catch off guard
• catch on the hop
• catch red-handed
• catch sight of
• catch sight of someone
• catch sight of something
• catch someone cold
• catch someone dead to rights
• catch someone in the act
• catch someone off guard
• catch someone on the hop
• catch someone red-handed
• catch someone's eye
• catch someone with fingers in the till
• catch someone with hand in the till
• catch someone with their fingers in the till
• catch someone with their hand in the till
• catch some rays
• catch some z's