nail Jell-O to the wall

nail Jell-O to the wall

and nail Jell-O to a cross and nail Jell-O to a tree
phr. to do something that is totally futile. (Jell-O is a protected trade name.) You’re wasting your time. Trying to get him to do that is like nailing Jell-O to the wall.
See also: nail, wall
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • nail Jell-O to a tree
  • nail Jell-O to a cross
  • right on the nail
  • nail a lie
  • nail a/the lie
  • Jello
  • jello shot
  • nail on
  • nail in
  • hit the nail on the head, to
References in periodicals archive
"It's like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall," Edmonds said.
High Court May Answer Question on Impairment and Death Penalty
And reining in popular culture - or, more precisely, the meaning of a particular piece of pop culture - is like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall. It's messy, difficult, and doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
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