VOA词汇掌故2023--'Beating a Dead Horse' Is Pointless

'Beating a Dead Horse' Is Pointless

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language. We give examples, notes on usage¹, and sometimes we even use them in short stories.

Today's idiom does not sound nice. In fact, it sounds quite cruel.

Today, we talk about beating a dead horse.

Why would anyone do something as pointless as beating a dead animal? Well, that is how we use the expression: to describe something that is a useless thing to do. You are just wasting your time. It is not productive². There is no point.

Merriam-Webster's online dictionary says this expression comes from the mid-19th century. Back then, some people may have beaten horses to make them go faster. At the time, this was often thought of as an acceptable³ practice.

But beating a dead horse would be pointless – because it's dead. No amount of beating will change that fact. We often use this expression in the negative. We say things like "I don't want to beat horse ..." or "Not to beat a dead horse..."

Now, if you are a horse lover and don't want to talk about beating one, please do not worry. We have many other expressions and idioms that have a similar meaning.

Let's say your friend talks about the same problem. They do not take your advice and they do not seem to want to accept any solution. If you don't want to say to them, "Now you're just beating a dead horse," you can say, "Look, we've gone over the same ground and nothing has changed. So, can we please change the topic?"

When you go over the same ground, you talk about the same thing over and over again.

There is another expression with the word "ground" that means the same thing as "beat a dead horse." If I have a problem and talk about it too much, I have run it into the ground. Running something into the ground means you have talked about to death. You have talked about it ad nauseam. This means you are making other people sick over it.

So, it is not a good idea to dwell⁴ on an old topic. Hearing about the same thing over and over again is tiring. Many people have lost good friends from belaboring⁶ a point or an issue.

And that is all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.

But join us again! We explore so many expressions and idioms in this program. In fact, each week we teach new ones. Not to beat a dead horse, but we really are a great resource for learning English.

Words in This Story

cruel – adj. ready to hurt others : without humane⁷ feelings

negative – adj. showing the opposite of something else

ad nauseam – adv. to a sickening or excessive degree

dwell on – phrasal v. to think or talk about (something) for a long time

belabor⁵ – v. to explain or insist on excessively

1 usage   

n.惯用法，使用，用法

参考例句：

• I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
• The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。

2 productive   

adj.能生产的，有生产价值的，多产的

参考例句：

• We had a productive meeting that solved some problems.我们开了一个富有成效的会议，解决了一些问题。
• Science and technology are part of the productive forces.科学技术是生产力。

3 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。

4 dwell   

vi.老是想着，详细讲述

参考例句：

• Sometimes his mind would dwell on the horrors he had been through.有时他会老是想着他所经历过的种种恐怖。
• A great number of water fowls dwell on the island.许多水鸟在岛上栖息。

5 belabor   

vt.痛斥；作过长说明

参考例句：

• Don't belabor the point.别再罗嗦这事儿了。
• He seems to be looking for a man of straw to belabor.他看来在找一个假想的敌人来加以痛打。

6 belaboring   

v.毒打一顿( belabor的现在分词 )；责骂；就…作过度的说明；向…唠叨

参考例句：

• Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us. 让双方探寻那些能将我们团结在一起的因素，而不是那些刻意挑出那些分裂我们的因素。 来自互联网

7 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。