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beat a dead horse

To persist or continue far beyond any purpose, interest or reason.

Etymology:

  • It is a very old idiom that originated in the Roman Empire. Plautus was the first one to use this term in one of his acts. In a live performance, he was whipping a dead horse. He was trying to get horse up to get up, move and carry the load for him. Actually, this action gave the viewers an idea about certain conditions and efforts that lead towards nowhere.
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After having shown us three hours of instructional and safety videos, the inspector was simply beating a dead horse by telling us to buckle up as we got into the van.

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Submitted on September 01, 2009

Modified by TriplePurple on April 11, 2024

Translation

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एक मरा हुआ घोड़ा मारो

slå en död häst

இறந்த குதிரையை வெல்லுங்கள்

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to beat a dead horse

Beat Around the Bushain't no hill for a stepping horsea camel is a horse made by a committeebeat around the bushbeat around the bushand the horse you rode in onbeat downbeat feeta dark horsebeat around the bushbeat downbeat itbeat banaghanbeat into

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    "beat a dead horse." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 Apr. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/beat-a-dead-horse_2282>.

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