flogging the dead horse
Preserved but no longer current.
Trying to revive interest in a subject out of date. Bright said that Earl Russell's Reform Bill (1867) was a "dead horse,'* and every attempt to create any enthusiasm in its favour was like "flogging the dead horse.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “flogging the dead horse” mean?
Trying to revive interest in a subject out of date. Bright said that Earl Russell's Reform Bill (1867) was a "dead horse,'* and every attempt to create any enthusiasm in its favour was like "flogging the dead horse.
Is “flogging the dead horse” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.