[Idiom] "renovating the ship while at high seas"?

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dennis66

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I'm looking for an English expression like "renovating the ship while at high seas" or "overhauling the plane in full flight" - something to express that you're making changes to something while it continues to operate. Both these expressions are translations from things I've heard being said in other languages. Is there an equivalent in English?
 

probus

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We can and do speak of doing things such as repairs "on the fly." But such things are necessarily in the nature of minor running repairs. The idea that something as major as an overhaul or renovation could be done while a machine is operating is simply absurd. That is why nobody has coined an English phrase for it. It could never happen in real life.

I understand, however, that ships with multiple engines sometimes overhaul an engine at sea, while operating on the other engine(s). Jacek1 will be able to confirm or deny.
 

Charlie Bernstein

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In the US, we do say things like that. For instance, you could say that a task is as hard as:

- sewing a patch on a blown-up balloon. (That's how doctors describe by-pass surgery.)
- fixing a flat without stopping the car.

. . . or as useless as:

- rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
- closing the gate after the horse got out.
- painting a burning house.
- using a flame thrower to put out a fire.
- washing dirt.
 

emsr2d2

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Charlie Bernstein

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I'm looking for an English expression like "renovating the ship while at high seas" or "overhauling the plane in full flight" - something to express that you're making changes to something while it continues to operate. Both these expressions are translations from things I've heard being said in other languages. Is there an equivalent in English?

Dennis -

After sleeping on it, I have another thought.

Your examples are a little confusing because they're too wordy. Simply. For example, you could have said:

- It's like trying to patch the leak while the boat is sinking.
- It's hard to replace a wing in midair.

Those are much clearer, right?

Before resorting to three-syllable words like renovate and overhaul, think about whether there are any one- or two-syllable words that will work. (No, I couldn't think of a shorter word for syllable!)
 

dennis66

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Dennis -

After sleeping on it, I have another thought.

Your examples are a little confusing because they're too wordy. Simply. For example, you could have said:

- It's like trying to patch the leak while the boat is sinking.
- It's hard to replace a wing in midair.

Those are much clearer, right?

Before resorting to three-syllable words like renovate and overhaul, think about whether there are any one- or two-syllable words that will work. (No, I couldn't think of a shorter word for syllable!)

Charlie,

Thanks! I like "replacing a wing in midair" because it's short and expresses exactly what I want to convey, which is that the job at hand is hard.

My original post didn't make this clear enough. I'm looking for expressions to indicate something is difficult, not that it is useless or too late. For that reason, "closing the gate after the horse got out" is not what I'm looking for, and "fixing a flat without stopping the car" is much closer.
 

Tdol

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Change horses in midstream?
 
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