Let sleeping dogs lie

[0361] Beat a dead horse

🎲 Dog days
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • To waste time or effort arguing or discussing an issue that is already resolved, decided, or cannot be changed.
  • Continuing to focus on a pointless or futile topic.

Origin

  • The imagery is visceral: hitting a horse that is already dead will not make it move or achieve anything.
  • It signifies wasted effort on something incapable of responding or changing.
  • The phrase likely gained popularity in the mid-19th century, possibly related to the cruelty and futility of such an act.
  • An earlier variant, flogging a dead horse, was used in British parliamentary debates.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • Flogging a dead horse (UK/Aus)
  • Belabor the point
  • Waste one's breath
  • Go over old ground
  • Let it go
  • Drop it

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • That ship has sailed. (The opportunity/decision point has passed)
  • It's done and dusted. (UK/Aus It's completely finished/settled)
  • Let it rest.
  • Move on.
  • Water under the bridge. (Focuses on past disagreements that shouldn't affect the present)

Vulgar/Emphatic:

  • Stop beating that dead fucking horse.
  • It's fucking over, drop it.

Situational Appropriateness

  • Informal to semi-formal.
  • Can be used in work meetings if the tone is appropriate (not overly aggressive).
  • Avoid using it dismissively if someone feels their point hasn't been heard.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • Generally well-understood idiomatically. Literal interpretation is highly unlikely.
  • The main risk is causing offense by dismissing someone's concerns too quickly.

Examples

  • We've already decided against that proposal, there's no point beating a dead horse.
  • He keeps complaining about the decision, but he's just beating a dead horse.
  • Do we really need to discuss this again? Let's not beat a dead horse.

Dialogue

Sarah: I still think we should have gone with the blue design for the website.

Mark: Sarah, the client chose the green one weeks ago and development is almost finished. We're beating a dead horse here.

Sarah: Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay, let's talk about the launch plan then.

Social Media Examples

  • Forum comment: Dude, everyone agreed this feature isn't happening. Stop beating a dead horse in every thread. #MoveOn
  • Tweet: Politicians arguing about last year's budget results feels like beating a dead horse when we have current crises to solve.

Response Patterns

  • Agreement: Yeah, you're right. Let's move on.
  • Acknowledgment: Okay, fair enough. What's next?
  • Mild disagreement (rarely): Well, I still think there's something to discuss... (often leading back to the 'beating a dead horse' accusation).
  • Ending the topic: Point taken. Moving on...

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

After hearing Let's not beat a dead horse:

  • Suggesting a new topic: Okay, so what should we focus on instead?
  • Asking for the next agenda item: Right, what's the next point?
  • Physically moving on (e.g., turning a page, changing slides).

After being accused of beating a dead horse:

  • Defending the point (risks further accusation): I just want to make sure we've considered...
  • Conceding: Alright, alright, I'll drop it.

Conversation Starter

  • No. Typically used mid-conversation to stop a repetitive or pointless discussion.

Intonation

  • Often said with slight exasperation or weariness.
  • Stress typically falls on BEAT and DEAD. Stop BEATing a DEAD horse.

Generation Differences

  • Widely understood across generations.

Regional Variations

  • Beat a dead horse is more common in American English.
  • Flog a dead horse is more common in British and Australian English. Both are understood widely.
Let sleeping dogs lie
🎲 Dog days