The expression 'to beat a dead horse' means to waste effort on something that is pointless or has no hope of success. 'To flog a dead horse' is an equivalent idiom.
The idiom 'to beat a dead horse' means to continue discussing or pursuing something that has no chance of succeeding or that is no longer relevant. An alternative is 'to flog a dead horse'.
| Idiom | to beat a dead horse |
|---|---|
| Definition | to keep on doing something after there is no point in doing so |
| Examples | - You're just beating a dead horse. He's never going to change his mind. - I finally realized that I was beating a dead horse. Nothing I could say was going to make any difference. - Relying on new or existing manufacturing jobs to save the day down the road isn't just beating a dead horse, it's laying down beside it. - I also think that we may have reached the point of beating a dead horse ... so with thanks and love to all, I now respectfully close this thread. - |
| Note | The word beat in this idiom means hit. An alternative expression is to flog a dead horse. (Hitting a dead horse is not going to make it move!) |
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Bend ear long i bent russian someone's talk
Previous card: Bear fruit long bore stop produce good results
Up to card list: Common English Idioms, Phrasal Verbs & Proverbs