Origin of “Beating a dead horse”
The origin of beating a dead horse. Was this ever a common practice suitable for a specific purpose? Is it related to the desire to spur a horse into action?
meaning etymology phrase-origin
edited yesterday
Cascabel
7,73262756
asked 2 days ago
gfrenchgfrench
746
add a comment |
The origin of beating a dead horse. Was this ever a common practice suitable for a specific purpose? Is it related to the desire to spur a horse into action?
meaning etymology phrase-origin
edited yesterday
Cascabel
7,73262756
asked 2 days ago
gfrenchgfrench
746
"Feeding a fed horse" is a common unneeded situation in stables.
– Mitch
2 days ago
1
Carrying water to the ocean.
– gfrench
2 days ago
"Carrying water to the ocean"/"Peeing in the ocean" is a slightly different idiom. With the dead horse your action has no effect (other than to rile the ASPCA). Adding a small amount of water to the ocean technically has an effect, but it's too small to notice.
– Hot Licks
2 days ago
@gfrench like tears in the rain
– Mitch
yesterday
add a comment |
The origin of beating a dead horse. Was this ever a common practice suitable for a specific purpose? Is it related to the desire to spur a horse into action?
meaning etymology phrase-origin
edited yesterday
Cascabel
7,73262756
asked 2 days ago
gfrenchgfrench
746
The origin of beating a dead horse. Was this ever a common practice suitable for a specific purpose? Is it related to the desire to spur a horse into action?
meaning etymology phrase-origin
meaning etymology phrase-origin
edited yesterday
Cascabel
7,73262756
asked 2 days ago
gfrenchgfrench
746
edited yesterday
Cascabel
7,73262756
asked 2 days ago
gfrenchgfrench
746
edited yesterday
Cascabel
7,73262756
edited yesterday
Cascabel
7,73262756
edited yesterday
Cascabel
7,73262756
7,73262756
asked 2 days ago
gfrenchgfrench
746
asked 2 days ago
gfrenchgfrench
746
asked 2 days ago
gfrenchgfrench
746
746
"Feeding a fed horse" is a common unneeded situation in stables.
– Mitch
2 days ago
1
Carrying water to the ocean.
– gfrench
2 days ago
"Carrying water to the ocean"/"Peeing in the ocean" is a slightly different idiom. With the dead horse your action has no effect (other than to rile the ASPCA). Adding a small amount of water to the ocean technically has an effect, but it's too small to notice.
– Hot Licks
2 days ago
@gfrench like tears in the rain
– Mitch
yesterday
add a comment |
"Feeding a fed horse" is a common unneeded situation in stables.
– Mitch
2 days ago
1
Carrying water to the ocean.
– gfrench
2 days ago
"Carrying water to the ocean"/"Peeing in the ocean" is a slightly different idiom. With the dead horse your action has no effect (other than to rile the ASPCA). Adding a small amount of water to the ocean technically has an effect, but it's too small to notice.
– Hot Licks
2 days ago
@gfrench like tears in the rain
– Mitch
yesterday
"Feeding a fed horse" is a common unneeded situation in stables.
– Mitch
2 days ago
"Feeding a fed horse" is a common unneeded situation in stables.
– Mitch
2 days ago
1
1
Carrying water to the ocean.
– gfrench
2 days ago
Carrying water to the ocean.
– gfrench
2 days ago
"Carrying water to the ocean"/"Peeing in the ocean" is a slightly different idiom. With the dead horse your action has no effect (other than to rile the ASPCA). Adding a small amount of water to the ocean technically has an effect, but it's too small to notice.
– Hot Licks
2 days ago
"Carrying water to the ocean"/"Peeing in the ocean" is a slightly different idiom. With the dead horse your action has no effect (other than to rile the ASPCA). Adding a small amount of water to the ocean technically has an effect, but it's too small to notice.
– Hot Licks
2 days ago
@gfrench like tears in the rain
– Mitch
yesterday
@gfrench like tears in the rain
– Mitch
yesterday
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
The origin of the idiom is the following:
According to Etymology Online:
'A dead horse as a figure for something that has ceased to be useful is from 1630s;
to flog a dead horse
''attempt to revive interest in a worn-out topic" is from 1864.'
According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flog:
flog
transitive verb
1a: to beat with or as if with a rod or whip
// The sailors were flogged for attempting a mutiny.
Here's an example from Reverso.context.net:
Anyway, not to beat a dead horse, but just to be super clear, I was looking for the key out front, and I thought maybe it was on the side.
answered 2 days ago
user307254user307254
3,903515
With advances in bioinformatics and quantum computing, there are new outcomes associated with beating a dead horse.
– gfrench
2 days ago
add a comment |
Think about it. You're in a horse-drawn wagon. The horse dies for some reason (possibly worked to death). You want to keep moving so you use your horse whip to whip the dead horse. This is clearly useless, so the figurative meaning is to foolishly attempt to keep moving in an impossible situation.
answered 2 days ago
Hot LicksHot Licks
19k23677
add a comment |
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2 Answers
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active
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
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active
oldest
votes
The origin of the idiom is the following:
According to Etymology Online:
'A dead horse as a figure for something that has ceased to be useful is from 1630s;
to flog a dead horse
''attempt to revive interest in a worn-out topic" is from 1864.'
According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flog:
flog
transitive verb
1a: to beat with or as if with a rod or whip
// The sailors were flogged for attempting a mutiny.
Here's an example from Reverso.context.net:
Anyway, not to beat a dead horse, but just to be super clear, I was looking for the key out front, and I thought maybe it was on the side.
answered 2 days ago
user307254user307254
3,903515
With advances in bioinformatics and quantum computing, there are new outcomes associated with beating a dead horse.
– gfrench
2 days ago
add a comment |
The origin of the idiom is the following:
According to Etymology Online:
'A dead horse as a figure for something that has ceased to be useful is from 1630s;
to flog a dead horse
''attempt to revive interest in a worn-out topic" is from 1864.'
According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flog:
flog
transitive verb
1a: to beat with or as if with a rod or whip
// The sailors were flogged for attempting a mutiny.
Here's an example from Reverso.context.net:
Anyway, not to beat a dead horse, but just to be super clear, I was looking for the key out front, and I thought maybe it was on the side.
answered 2 days ago
user307254user307254
3,903515
With advances in bioinformatics and quantum computing, there are new outcomes associated with beating a dead horse.
– gfrench
2 days ago
add a comment |
The origin of the idiom is the following:
According to Etymology Online:
'A dead horse as a figure for something that has ceased to be useful is from 1630s;
to flog a dead horse
''attempt to revive interest in a worn-out topic" is from 1864.'
According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flog:
flog
transitive verb
1a: to beat with or as if with a rod or whip
// The sailors were flogged for attempting a mutiny.
Here's an example from Reverso.context.net:
Anyway, not to beat a dead horse, but just to be super clear, I was looking for the key out front, and I thought maybe it was on the side.
answered 2 days ago
user307254user307254
3,903515
The origin of the idiom is the following:
According to Etymology Online:
'A dead horse as a figure for something that has ceased to be useful is from 1630s;
to flog a dead horse
''attempt to revive interest in a worn-out topic" is from 1864.'
According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flog:
flog
transitive verb
1a: to beat with or as if with a rod or whip
// The sailors were flogged for attempting a mutiny.
Here's an example from Reverso.context.net:
Anyway, not to beat a dead horse, but just to be super clear, I was looking for the key out front, and I thought maybe it was on the side.
answered 2 days ago
user307254user307254
3,903515
edited 2 days ago
answered 2 days ago
user307254user307254
3,903515
answered 2 days ago
user307254user307254
3,903515
answered 2 days ago
user307254user307254
3,903515
3,903515
With advances in bioinformatics and quantum computing, there are new outcomes associated with beating a dead horse.
– gfrench
2 days ago
add a comment |
With advances in bioinformatics and quantum computing, there are new outcomes associated with beating a dead horse.
– gfrench
2 days ago
With advances in bioinformatics and quantum computing, there are new outcomes associated with beating a dead horse.
– gfrench
2 days ago
With advances in bioinformatics and quantum computing, there are new outcomes associated with beating a dead horse.
– gfrench
2 days ago
add a comment |
Think about it. You're in a horse-drawn wagon. The horse dies for some reason (possibly worked to death). You want to keep moving so you use your horse whip to whip the dead horse. This is clearly useless, so the figurative meaning is to foolishly attempt to keep moving in an impossible situation.
answered 2 days ago
Hot LicksHot Licks
19k23677
add a comment |
Think about it. You're in a horse-drawn wagon. The horse dies for some reason (possibly worked to death). You want to keep moving so you use your horse whip to whip the dead horse. This is clearly useless, so the figurative meaning is to foolishly attempt to keep moving in an impossible situation.
answered 2 days ago
Hot LicksHot Licks
19k23677
add a comment |
Think about it. You're in a horse-drawn wagon. The horse dies for some reason (possibly worked to death). You want to keep moving so you use your horse whip to whip the dead horse. This is clearly useless, so the figurative meaning is to foolishly attempt to keep moving in an impossible situation.
answered 2 days ago
Hot LicksHot Licks
19k23677
Think about it. You're in a horse-drawn wagon. The horse dies for some reason (possibly worked to death). You want to keep moving so you use your horse whip to whip the dead horse. This is clearly useless, so the figurative meaning is to foolishly attempt to keep moving in an impossible situation.
answered 2 days ago
Hot LicksHot Licks
19k23677
answered 2 days ago
Hot LicksHot Licks
19k23677
answered 2 days ago
Hot LicksHot Licks
19k23677
answered 2 days ago
Hot LicksHot Licks
19k23677
19k23677
add a comment |
add a comment |
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"Feeding a fed horse" is a common unneeded situation in stables.
– Mitch
2 days ago
1
Carrying water to the ocean.
– gfrench
2 days ago
"Carrying water to the ocean"/"Peeing in the ocean" is a slightly different idiom. With the dead horse your action has no effect (other than to rile the ASPCA). Adding a small amount of water to the ocean technically has an effect, but it's too small to notice.
– Hot Licks
2 days ago
@gfrench like tears in the rain
– Mitch
yesterday