moondogglen.
/ˈmuːnˌdɒɡl/, U.S. /ˈmunˌdɑɡ(ə)l/ slang (chiefly U.S.). Now rare.
Lunar exploration regarded as a frivolous waste of money or time; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > uselessness, vanity, or futility > [noun] > a profitless undertaking > specific
moondoggle1962
1962 Economist 1 Sept. 780/1 The..taunts of ‘moondoggle’..when Mr Kennedy first outlined his plans for exploring the moon.
1964 E. Amitai (title) The Moondoggle: domestic and international implications of the space race.
1975 K. Sale Power Shift i. 25 But in the second decade—the years of Vietnam and the moondoggle—the effect was even greater.
1999 Free Market 17 v The ISS is the most outrageous moondoggle yet. Before one part was in orbit its estimated cost had risen from $40 to $60 billion.
Derivatives
ˈmoondoggling n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > uselessness, vanity, or futility > [noun] > futile activity > specific
moondoggling1963
1963 Punch 1 May 620/2 The vast expense of the crash programme to put a man on the moon is..open to the charge of being..economic moondoggling.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1962