Submitted by AtlasShrunked t3_11v6tzg in Showerthoughts
OSRS_Rising t1_jcu6sdz wrote
Reply to comment by WutWhoSaidDat in Beating a dead horse is a lot more humane than beating a live one. by AtlasShrunked
“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.”
https://www.gingersoftware.com/content/phrases/beat-a-dead-horse/#
WutWhoSaidDat t1_jcu84u0 wrote
Yea, you seem capable of reading, but not comprehending. That doesn’t imply at all you were beating it until it died.
OSRS_Rising t1_jcu90wk wrote
No need to be rude, I don’t recall being rude to you. If I came across that way, I apologize. 🙂
The opposite of beating a dead horse is beating a live horse.
The phrase, “beating a dead horse” means doing something that is accomplishing nothing.
So, beating a live horse means doing something that is accomplishing something.
The phrase has meaning because it’s implied the beater (or flogger) has just been doing something over and over again long passed the point of it being useful.
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