Forth, Firth of

 
  • the estuary of the River Forth, spanned by a cantilever railway bridge (opened 1890) and a road suspension bridge (1964).

Phrases

paint the Forth Bridge

used to indicate that a task is never-ending: it’s all over for another year except that we must immediately set about seeking next year’s sponsor—it’s a bit like painting the Forth Bridge
[with reference to the fact that the railway bridge is so long that once its painters had reached one end, they would have to begin again at the other]