run like a dry creek

The phrase "run like a dry creek" is used mainly in the US to describe ineffective or unsuccessful efforts, often in politics.

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ US Voice:
πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ UK Voice:

Definition

C1Politics

(colloquial, US)To campaign for political office with little chance of winning.

Example

  • Despite his enthusiasm, he was running like a dry creek in the mayoral race.

B2General

(colloquial, US)To operate or function poorly or not at all.

Example

  • The old car ran like a dry creek, barely making it up the hill.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "run like a dry creek":

run dryriver runningcreek bedriver runrun torun acrossrun aboutrun withrun inrun onrun throughrun offdry spellrun againstrun afterrun down