deep-fried food (esp. chicken)
putting on a brave face; put-on cheeriness; pretending one is fine; show of courage; bravado; Dutch courage
deep-fried food (esp. chicken)
flat broke; stone broke; penniless
striking (at something) and missing; swing and a miss; vain attempt
deep-fried food (esp. chicken)
racing (of an engine); spinning one's wheels; running idle; fruitless effort; going nowhere; going round in circles
blank (ticket); unsuccessful lottery ticket
tea served without sweets
putting on a brave face; put-on cheeriness; pretending one is fine; show of courage; bravado; Dutch courage
putting on a brave face; put-on cheeriness; pretending one is fine; show of courage; bravado; Dutch courage
dry cough; hacking cough; intentional cough (i.e. to get someone's attention)
making a fuss; Much Ado about Nothing (Shakespeare)
bad (fictitious) bill; empty promise
bluffing; bluster; bravado
lacking cargo; in ballast
(unusually) dry rainy season
heating a vessel without water in it; heating an empty pan, kettle, boiler, bathtub, etc.
traveling alone and with little luggage (travelling)
fictitious transaction; paper transaction
clicking the shutter of a camera without taking a picture (because no film is loaded, or in order to advance the film)
embossing; inkless stamping
dealt hand containing only 1-point cards (scoring combination)
utterly lacking (in ability); hopeless; useless; poor
empty (e.g. intermodal containers in the transport industry)
empty string; null string
blank email (e.g. for signing up to an email list)
tenpai with all potential winning tiles visible on table (impossible to win)