Fig.: to put effort into something redundant and pointless

Are you kidding me? Do you really want to give money to our boss as a present for his retirement? He's more than wealthy and it would be like bringing owls to Athens

Stai scherzando? Davvero vuoi fare un regalo in denaro al direttore per il suo pensionamento? È molto ricco di suo e sarebbe come portare nottole ad Atene

In ancient Greece the owl was thought to represent the wisdom of the goddess Athena and became the symbol of the city. Athens was known for having many owls, the real ones as well as the ones depicted on Athenian drachmas, the Greek silver coins