flog (redirected from flogging)

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

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

See also: dead, horse

flog something to death (British, American & Australian, informal, 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