like kicking dead whales down the beach
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Very slow and difficult.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
I have a full backup, but restoring 213 MB of data from one oppy to another with a single drive, even using dd and big packets, is going to be like kicking dead whales down the beach. Is there an easier way?
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “like kicking dead whales down the beach” mean?
Very slow and difficult.
Is “like kicking dead whales down the beach” formal or informal?
like kicking dead whales down the beach is generally slang.