flog a dead horse Definition

flog
verb flogged, flogging

1. To beat; to whip repeatedly, particularly as a form of punishment.

Thesaurus: beat, whip, lash, flay, punish, whack, welt, thrash, trounce, chastise, flagellate.
2. colloq
To sell something, especially when it is said to be a bargain000.
Example: She flogged her car for £3

Idiom: flog a dead horse

colloq
To waste time and energy trying to do something that is impossible or a lost cause.

Idiom: flog something to death

colloq
To over-use (an idea, expression, etc) so that it becomes tedious, often resulting in the opposite effect from the desired one.

Derivative: flogger
noun

Etymology: 17c: probably from Latin flagellare; see flagellant.

---

horse
noun

1. A large hoofed mammal, with a slender head, a long neck, a mane and long legs, used in many countries for pulling and carrying loads, and for riding.

Thesaurus: steed, stallion, pony, nag, mount, equine.
2. An adult male of this species. See also mare1, foal.
3. Cavalry.
4. gymnastics.
A piece of apparatus used for vaulting over, etc.
5. Any of various types of supporting apparatus.

Example: clothes-horse
Example: saw-horse
6. mining.
A barren area of land interrupting a lode.
7. slang
Heroin.

verb horsed, horsing

1. To mount or put someone on, or as if on, a horse.
2. To provide with a horse.
intr
3. To climb or travel on horseback.

Idiom: flog a dead horse

See under flog.

Idiom: gift horse

See under gift.

Idiom: high horse

See under high.

Idiom: hold your horses

Wait a moment; not so fast or hasty.

Idiom: horse of a different colour

A person or matter of a different kind.
Example: Most of her friends are quiet, but he's a horse of a different colour

Idiom: horses for courses

A phrase literally indicating that a racehorse will perform best on a racecourse particularly suited to it, but applied figuratively to people.

Idiom: put the cart before the horse

See under cart.

Idiom: straight from the horse's mouth

Directly from a well-informed and reliable source.

Idiom: willing horse

A willing and obliging worker.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon as hors.

Phrasal Verb: horse about or around

To fool about.