ENGLISH
REFERENCE

flog a dead horse

idiom

To attempt to get more out of something that cannot give more; to attempt to arouse fresh interest in something that is either hopeless or already settled.


Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    beat a dead horse

    To persist or continue far beyond any purpose, interest or reason.

  2. 02

    Brown bread

    [Cockney slang]dead

  3. 03

    charley horse

    A muscle cramp, usually a strong one, in the thigh, leg, arm, or core.

  4. 04

    close the stable door after the horse has bolted

    To attempt to prevent a problem that has already occurred; to design and implement a preventive mechanism that is too late (after the first failure instead of before).

  5. 05

    come back from the dead

    To experience a resurgence after one's productive years are assumed to have ended.

  6. 06

    dark horse

    Someone who possesses talents or favorable characteristics that are not known or expected by others.

  7. 07

    dead 'n' buried

    Contraction of dead and buried.

  8. 08

    dead air

    An unintended interruption in a broadcast during which nothing is transmitted: a silent period on radio or a silent period with no picture on television.

© 2026 English Reference