flog a dead horse
Belabor settled matters
To flog a dead horse is to waste effort on something already settled, failed, or beyond revival.
The image is of beating a horse that's already dead—pointless labor that can't produce results: I've made my decision, so stop flogging a dead horse.
Also beat a dead horse, more common in American English.
- spit in the windAct against unstoppable force
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- belaborOverwork a point
- ineffectualFailing to achieve purpose
- idiomFixed phrase, opaque meaning
waste · waste of time · chasing rainbows · wild goose chase · tilting at windmills · fool's errand · futility · exercise in futility · pointless · useless · spinning your wheels · going nowhere · unproductive · purposeless · uphill battle · maxim · barking up the wrong tree · dwell upon
flog a dead horsestrike while the iron is hot
Act when conditions favor
make hay while the sun shines · seize the moment · ride the wave · hit the ground running · gain traction
flog a dead horsecut your losses
Exit before further damage
throw in the towel · call it quits · move on · let it go · accept defeat
flog a dead horsethink outside the box
turn over a new leaf · start fresh · break new ground · reinvent the wheel · change tack
flog, flogged, flogging, flogger, dead, deaden, deadened, deadly, deadness