be (of) no use to man or beast
To be completely useless; to serve no purpose; to be unsuitable to anyone or anything. I admire the intelligence with which you argue your points, friend, but unless you're willing to put your words into action, I'm afraid your philosophizing is of no use to man or beast. After 20 years, my faithful old truck finally broke down for good. It's no use to man or beast anymore. Just get rid of these old tools, Dad—they're so rusty and beat-up that they're no use to man or beast.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
no use to man or beast
or no good to man or beast
LITERARYIf someone or something is no use to man or beast, they are completely useless. Much against his will, he took with him six complete beginners, of no use to man or beast. Note: This is part of the old saying, `When the wind is in the east, 'tis neither good for man nor beast.'
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012