wasting

Related to wasting: wasting away, wasting disease

be wasting (one's) breath

To be talking of, discussing, or saying things that are likely to be ignored or are in vain. Don't bother trying to change my mind about this, you're wasting your breath! It looks like I was wasting my breath when I tried to pitch my idea to the board of directors.
See also: breath, wasting

time's a-wasting

You are wasting or running out of time! "Wasting" is often shortened to "wastin'." Come on, get those chores done so we can get out of here. Time's a-wastin'! Time's a-wasting, kids! You're going to fail the assignment if your experiments aren't finished by the end of the class.

waste (one's) breath

To talk of, discuss, or say things that are likely to be ignored or are in vain. Don't bother trying to change my mind about this, you're wasting your breath! It looks like I wasted my breath trying to pitch my idea to the board of directors.
See also: breath, waste

waste (someone)

slang To kill or murder someone. Grab your piece and go waste that fool. They sent a hitman to go waste the informant.
See also: waste

waste away

1. To dwindle toward a state of nothingness or complete decrepitude; to wither away. He didn't want them to see him wasting away from the cancer. The old industrial site just sits out there wasting away, unable to be rezoned due to contamination.
2. To squander something. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "waste" and "away." I feel like we've been wasting away every weekend watching TV. Let's try to get out of the house tomorrow. The old fool wasted his fortune away on trips to the casino.
See also: away, waste

waste no time (in) (doing something)

To act or do something immediately or as expediently as possible. Wow, Sarah wasted no time finding a new boyfriend after she and Rob split up. We have to have the application in by tomorrow morning, so we must waste no time in getting everyone's signature that we need.
See also: no, time, waste

waste on (someone or something)

To expend something on a person or thing that will not appreciate or properly utilize it. A noun or pronoun can be used between "waste" and "on." Her talent in art is wasted on me—I have no eye for design.
See also: on, waste

waste time

1. To procrastinate; to avoid doing something, especially by engaging in some frivolous or diversionary activity. Mark, please stop wasting time and get on with your presentation! Whenever I ask the kids to do their chores, they always find some way or another to waste time. You can tell it's Monday because everyone in the office keeps wasting time over by the water cooler.
2. To spend time engaging in idle, unproductive, or unhelpful activities in order to consume spare time. In this usage, a modifier can be used between "waste" and "time." I remember being a kid and wasting huge amounts of time just strolling around the mall on the weekend. Come meet us for a coffee! We're just wasting time near the station until our train leaves.
3. To do or say something that takes up one's or someone else's time in a useless or unhelpful manner. In this usage, a possessive adjective can be used between "waste" and "time." If you don't have anything useful to contribute, then please just get out of here and stop wasting my time. She's wasting her time trying to convince the boss to increase the budget. I hate it when people hold up the ticket counter at airports with these petty complaints. Don't they realize that they're wasting everyone's time?
See also: time, waste

you're wasting my time

What you are doing or saying is using up my time in a useless, unhelpful, or irritating manner. If you don't have anything useful to contribute, then you're just wasting my time. A: "Please, let me just demonstrate how this works!" B: "No, you're wasting my time now. Please leave."
See also: time, wasting
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

waste away

to wither or dwindle away. Our money just seemed to waste away. As she grew older, she just sort of wasted away.
See also: away, waste

waste something away

to use something up wastefully; to dissipate something. He wasted all his money away and had to live in poverty. They wasted away everything and regretted it later.
See also: away, waste

You're (just) wasting my time.

Inf. What you have to say is of no interest to me. Rachel: I've heard enough. You're just wasting my time. Good-bye. Mary: If that's the way you feel about it, good-bye. Bill: Come on, Bill. I'll show you what I mean. Bill: No, you're wasting my time.
See also: time, wasting
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

waste away

Lose energy and vigor, become enfeebled and weak, as in She was wasting away before our eyes. [Late 1300s]
See also: away, waste
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

be wasting your breath

If someone is wasting their breath, there is no point in them continuing with what they are saying, because it will not have any effect. He wanted to protest again, but the tone of her voice told him he was wasting his breath. Before I could get very far he interrupted me to tell me that I was wasting my breath. Note: You can say that something being said is a waste of breath. He would admit to the thefts, but deny everything else, and her accusations would be a waste of breath.
See also: breath, wasting
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

waste away

v.
1. To lose energy, strength, weight, or vigor; become weak or enfeebled: The patient wasted away from cancer.
2. To spend some time idly or wastefully: They are wasting their lives away playing video games. The idle rich waste away their days.
See also: away, waste
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • be wasting (one's) breath
  • be wasting your breath
  • waste (one's) breath
  • waste breath
  • waste one's breath
  • waste your breath
  • wasted
  • a waste of breath
  • don't bother me
  • Don't bother me!
References in periodicals archive
Elk appear the least susceptible to Chronic Wasting Disease, with mule deer (a western cousin of white-tails) next in line.
Pringle thinks Chronic Wasting Disease could rip through the deer population east of the Mississippi with virtually nothing to stop it.
In February, Wisconsin reported that three deer killed by hunters the previous fall had Chronic Wasting Disease, its first appearance east of the Mississippi River.
House of Representatives held Chronic Wasting Disease hearings in mid-May, and Wisconsin Governor Scott McCallum, who had asked the federal government for $18.5 million to fight the disease, testified that Chronic Wasting Disease could destroy Wisconsin's wildlife and hunting heritage.
Representative Jay Inslee, Democrat of Washington, asked McCallum about a 1998 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources memo on Chronic Wasting Disease-exposed elk coming onto Wisconsin game farms.
"There were at least two specific instances where other states had informed Wisconsin that Chronic Wasting Disease-infected [or exposed] herds had sent elk to Wisconsin," Inslee says.
"It's important to note that there's never been a case in Wisconsin of Chronic Wasting Disease in an elk ranch or game farm," says Henry Kriegel of a Montana public relations firm that represents a large game farm association.
Flaws with no mandatory testing were apparent in October 2001, after Colorado discovered a Chronic Wasting Disease outbreak on a number of game farms.
Game farm regulations concerning Chronic Wasting Disease vary by state, but in the past someone could import nearly any animal as long as it had a health certificate.
Who is to blame for mad deer?