Where does the expression beat a dead horse come from?

What is the origin of the expression beating a dead horse?

The phrase, which is also sometimes expressed as ‘beating a dead horse’, appeared in print in 1859, in the report of a UK parliamentary debate involving Francis Wemyss-Charteris Douglas, eighth earl of Wemyss and sixth earl of March – who was better known as Lord Elcho.

What would happen if you beat a horse with a dead one?

There wouldn’t be one; it’d be pointless! So while beating a living horse serves a purpose, beating a dead one would be futile. Anyways, this saying dates back to at least the year 1859.

What does’flog a dead horse’mean?

Our present meaning, in the phrase ‘flog a dead horse’, which is sometimes expressed as ‘beat a dead horse’, is quite different. This is a reference to something that is entirely pointless and cannot result in any productive end.

Where does the term ‘beat a dead horse’ come from?

The origin of the expression ‘beat a dead horse’ comes from the mid-19th century, when the practice of beating horses to make them go faster was often viewed as acceptable. To beat a dead horse would be pointless, as it wouldn’t be able to go anywhere.

Do you have a dead horse problem in it?

I n IT, we need to pay special attention to the dead horse problem: Due to the fast-changing environment (business needs and technology) and complexity we are often confronted with such dead horses.

Can I use’beat a dead horse’in my English exam?

Beating a dead horse means continuing to talk about a topic that other people think is over, or do something when you have no chance of succeeding. (You can also use flog instead of beat, as in ‘flogging a dead horse’.) Can you use this in your English exam? Possibly.

What happens if you bet on two horse dead heats?

But when two horse dead heat for first place, you only get 50% or half of the return you were expecting. So, if you had a £20 bet on a winning 6/4 favourite that dead heats with one other horse for first place, you’ll only get back £25 (half of your winnings £15 + £10 half of your stake).

What is the origin of the phrase’dead horse’?

Some scholars claim that the phrase originated in 17th-century slang, where a “dead horse” was work that was paid for in advance, e.g. “His land ’twas sold to pay his debts; All went that way, for a dead horse, as one would say.”.

What does flog to death mean?

flog (something) to death. To linger over or discuss something so long and to such a tedious and laborious extent that the subject is no longer of any interest or relevance. I think we should move on to another topic before we flog this one to death. The film’s rhetorical message has been flogged to death by everyone you talk to.

What does it mean to flog a horse?

The idiom comes from the fact that flogging a horse in this condition (dead or dying) would not cause it to move or anything otherwise worthwhile to happen.

What is the origin of the expression’beat a dead horse’?

Interesting fact. The origin of the expression ‘beat a dead horse’ comes from the mid-19th century, when the practice of beating horses to make them go faster was often viewed as acceptable. To beat a dead horse would be pointless, as it wouldn’t be able to go anywhere.

How do you deal with a dead horse?

Determining that riders who don’t stay on dead horses are lazy, lack drive, and have no ambition—then replacing them. 10. Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included. 11. Reclassifying the horse as “living-impaired.” 12. Hiring an outside consultant to advise on how to better ride the horse. 13.

Why do we say ‘beat a dead horse’?

Interesting fact. The origin of the expression ‘beat a dead horse’ comes from the mid-19th century, when the practice of beating horses to make them go faster was often viewed as acceptable.

What is a dead horse in education?

The President’s pledge to overhaul the education system became something of a dead horse after the economy crashed. What do you call a dead horse? : an exhausted or profitless topic or issue —usually used in the phrases beat a dead horse and flog a dead horse.

What happens when two or more horses dead heat?

If two or more horses dead-heat for the final position which constitutes a place, a dividend is paid on each of those dead-heating horses. The amount of the pool allocated to that place is divided equally between the dead-heating horses.

Why am I being paid in dead heats for some bets?

With different place terms being available at different stages of play, some players may end up being paid in dead heats for some bets and not others. For instance, if you placed a bet on Justin Rose on the last day and the place terms were 1/3 1-2, your place part of the bet will be subject to a half stake dead heat.

What are the odds of a dead heat in golf betting?

For instance, if you placed a bet on Justin Rose on the last day and the place terms were 1/3 1-2, your place part of the bet will be subject to a half stake dead heat. However, if you placed a bet on Justin Rose earlier in the tournament and the each-way terms were 1/4 1-2-3, there is no dead heat.

What are the dead heat rules in horse racing?

Though some books don’t have dead heat rules at all, most of them do. In races or tournaments that end in a dead heat, the stake would be divided by the number of racers in the tie multiplied by the odds at which the bet was placed. For example, in a dead heat where there was a tie between two winners, the stake would be divided in half.

What is the meaning of the word’Dead Horse’?

The original meaning of ‘a dead horse’, apart from the literal ‘horse that has fallen off its perch’, was a reference to work for which a person had been paid in advance (and possibly had already spent the proceeds).

What was ‘dead horse time’?

In the 17th century, sailors were paid in advance and promptly blew their checks on booze. The ensuing period of work was called “dead horse” time.

What’s the origin of the phrase’flogging a dead horse’?

What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Flogging a dead horse’? The original meaning of ‘a dead horse’, apart from the literal ‘horse that has fallen off its perch’, was a reference to work for which a person had been paid in advance (and possibly had already spent the proceeds).

What is the meaning of flogged 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, to

What does to flog a dead horse mean?

To flog a dead horse is to attempt to revive an interest which has died out; to engage in fruitless effort. The original meaning of ‘a dead horse’, apart from the literal ‘horse that has fallen off its perch’, was a reference to work for which a person had been paid in advance (and possibly had already spent the proceeds).

What does “beat a dead horse” mean?

A man sits atop a dead horse in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The idiom “to beat a dead horse” originated from the fact that flogging a dead horse will not compel him to do useful work.

What does it mean to flog a dead horse?

Flogging a dead horse. Jump to navigation Jump to search. A man sitting on a dead horse in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Flogging a dead horse (alternatively beating a dead horse, or beating a dead person in some parts of the Anglophone world) is an idiom that means to continue a particular endeavour is a waste of time as the outcome is already decided.

What would you do if you find a dead horse?

Riding the dead horse “outside the box.” 17. Get the horse a Web site. 18. Killing all the other horses so the dead one doesn’t stand out. 19.

Where does the idiom hit a dead horse come from?

Thus, the origin of this expression may come from horse racing and the futility that comes from hitting a dead horse. Anyways, this idiom goes back to at least the year 1859.