flog (redirected from Flogging a Dead Horse)

flog someone to death

Lit. to beat someone to death with a whip. In the movie, the captain ordered the first mate to flog the sailor to death.

See also: death

flog something to death

Fig. to dwell on something so much that it no longer has any interest. Stop talking about this! You've flogged it to death. Walter almost flogged the whole matter to death before we stopped him.

See also: death

flog a dead horse and beat a dead horse

Fig. to insist on talking about something that no one is interested in, or that has already been thoroughly discussed. The history teacher lectured us every day about the importance of studying history, until we begged him to stop flogging a dead horse. Jill: I think I'll write the company president another letter asking him to prohibit smoking. Jane: There's no use beating a dead horse, Jill; he's already decided to let people smoke.

See also: dead, horse

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flog something to death  (British, American & Australian informal) also beat something to death (American)

to use a particular style or to discuss a particular subject so many times that it is not interesting any more He basically takes one theme and flogs it to death for three hundred and fifty pages. No sporting event is beaten to death more than the Sugar Bowl - it is analyzed again and again by the commentators.

See also: death

flog a dead horse  (British, American & Australian) also beat a dead horse (American)

to waste time trying to do something that will not succeed (usually in continuous tenses) You're flogging a dead horse trying to persuade Simon to come to Spain with us - he hates going abroad. Do you think it's worth sending my manuscript to other publishers or I am just beating a dead horse?

See also: dead, horse