go through the motions
go through the motions {v. phr.}
To pretend to do something by moving or acting as if you were really doing it; do something without really trying hard or caring.
Jane was angry because she couldn't go out, and when her mother said to dust her room she just went through the motions.
The team was so far behind in the game that they just went through the motions of playing at the end.
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Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms
