Idiom
beat a dead horse
Meanings
To continue to argue about or pursue something that is already settled, finished, or pointless.
Definition
To waste time arguing or focusing on something that cannot be changed or is already decided.
To beat a dead horse means to keep talking about, arguing over, or trying to fix an issue that is already settled or impossible to change. It suggests your effort is pointless and should be redirected to something more productive. People often use it when a discussion is going in circles.
Examples
- We already apologized, so let’s not beat a dead horse.
- There’s no point in beating a dead horse—the decision has been made.
- He kept beating a dead horse by bringing up the same complaint in every meeting.
- If we beat a dead horse, we’ll waste the whole afternoon.
- Stop beating a dead horse and focus on what we can fix now.
More at B2 level
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share a quick update or confirm plans.
- ballpark figure A ballpark figure is an approximate number or estimate, not an exact one.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to tease someone or make fun of them in a not-too-serious way.
- cheap as chips Very cheap; costing very little money.
More idiom (verb phrase)s
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share a quick update or confirm plans.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to tease someone or make fun of them in a not-too-serious way.
- drop the ball To drop the ball means to make a mistake or fail to do something important that you were responsibl…
- have a chinwag To have a chinwag means to have a friendly, informal chat with someone.
- face the music To accept and deal with the unpleasant consequences of your actions or a difficult situation.