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| drop a bucket into an empty well (Bobrovska) | |||
| wash an ass's ears; wash an ass's head; whistle jigs to a milestone; beat the wind | |||
| hold a farthing candle to the sun (ср. воды морю прибавлять. ...commentaries each dark passage shun And hold their farthing candle to the sun. – ...комментаторы, страшася трудных мест, Жгут свечи днём, когда светло окрест. / E. Young, "Love of Fame", сатира VII Bobrovska) | |||