Spin (one's) wheels verb phrase
If someone spins their wheels, they are trying hard to do something but do not achieve the desired result.
We need marketing execution but without a strategy, we’ll just spin our wheels.
I felt like I just spun my wheels trying to explain the answer for him.
The verb "spin" should be conjugated according to its tense.
This idiom, with its image of a vehicle in snow or sand that spins its wheels but cannot move, dates from the mid-1900s.
Children or adults often say this phrase to get their friends to join in something, especially to jump into a swimming pool (pond, lake, etc.)
“Last one in is a rotten egg!” yelled Jane, jumping into the pool.