BE AN EXERCISE = BE AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY?

16:40 Jan 19, 2023 

Really can't see how you believe you don't have TWO terms in the header?? The first answer dealt with "it's an exercise" as the expression asked. Re "It looks as if the problem is you somewhat hemming yourself in by so much unnecessary strictness where a bit common sense will do". HUH? I point out that if you make your questions clear, with context, you have a better chance of getting a clear answer faster and this is your insulting response?

22:20 Jan 17, 2023 

I used the header as title to my question, namely, whether the usage at issue was, so to speak, a truncated iteration of the standard expression -- the reason, I produced it in the question proper. No idea how you came to read two questions into that. I am thankful for your insights regarding the doubt, nonetheless holding firmly to the belief I did not flout any rules. Finally, I did capitalized the header ("guilty"?), though you make it seem as though I uncurred the ad nauseam capitalization gimmick (clearly not the case). It looks as if the problem is you somewhat hemming yourself in by so much unnecessary strictness where a bit common sense will do.

16:27 Jan 17, 2023 

Also, your question as ASKED (since some people seem to like capitalisation) was: "Though I personally haven't yet come across the pattern in speech, the inference does seem to figure. Now, am I right?"
So the first thing I did was answer that question instead of extrapolating stuff from the X-files (which I never liked much BTW) and agree with you what was inferred.

16:16 Jan 17, 2023 

https://www.proz.com/kudozrules Please read these rules for posting. There seems to be no moderator here!
Of course I saw the question mark, that shouldn't be there (nor the =mark) in the first place. And there should be only ONE term in the header. And NO unnecessary capitalisation. So your question breaks a lot of rules and is really quite unclear as asked. It needed more context too to determine if 2nd expression was inferred
With further context it's clear the expression "an exercise iin futility" is inferred, so why didn't Scully say that? Well, some things are better left unsaid, especially when they must be seen to follow procedures. Even if it is a sham investigation, they can't openly admit that or announce it in advance.
It is overtranslation to extrapolate more than the usual meaning of the expression as given here.

23:01 Jan 15, 2023 

although it comes at no surprise at all for anyone who watched at least few episodes of The X-Files. The whole series is an endless variation on the same easily recognisable basic theme.

If a bureaucracy investigating its own dirty linen is not a case of "pretending to look for s.t. you don't want to find" I don't know what else could be. SKINNER and SCULLY being part of it, they will be well aware of that fact of life.

20:29 Jan 15, 2023 

Mulder Sr's death was an inside job by the Bureau in cahoots with global special interests, as was Fox's near miss.