From pillar to post
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
From one place, person, or difficulty to another, usually without making progress. Usually implies frustration, disorder, or repeated referral rather than purposeful travel. Regional use: English, with a late Middle English first form; now widespread.
Origin
The earliest recorded English order is from post to pillar. It appears in the anonymous Assembly of Gods, probably composed in the later fifteenth century, where a person is driven helplessly from one point to another. The reversed pillar to post order became established in the sixteenth century. Suggested origins in tennis or public punishment are ingenious but unproved; the documentary record supports the movement image, not one certain literal custom.
Research Sources
Variants
- From post to pillar
Usage Examples
- The enquiry sent us from pillar to post for three weeks.
- After being passed from pillar to post, she finally found the correct office.
- The refugees were driven from pillar to post by changing regulations.