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Beat a dead horse

有志提高英文的小伙伴们

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Definition: To bring up an issue that has already been concluded; something that's considered to be pointless.

Origin: This phrase may originate with horse racing, where horses are sometimes "beaten" by their riders to get them moving faster. If the horses were dead, then there wouldn't really be much of a point in beating them. Thus, the pointlessness of beating a dead horse would eventually go on to apply to other things.

Some scholars claim that the phrase originated in 17th-century slang, where a "dead horse" was work that was paid for in advance, e.g. "His land 'twas sold to pay his debts; All went that way, for a dead horse, as one would say. "This attribution confuses "flogging a dead horse" with an entirely different phrase: "to work (for) the dead horse". Most men paid in advance apparently either wasted the money on drink or other such vices, or used it to pay outstanding debts.

A

I have given up making the students talk! It's like beating dead horse.

就放弃让学生开口说话吧！你是在浪费时间。

B

You are beating a dead horse. The couple says their marriage is over and there is no way you can bring them back to each other again.

你白费劲了，这对夫妇说他们的婚姻结束了，他们不可能和好了。

C

I don't want to beat a dead horse but I think we should bring this issue up again.。

（最后一句依然留给大家来翻译。）

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Carefully picked by Manling, A prime broadcaster for CRI's English service, also a seasoned English teacher, and her native English co-host, these authentic words and expressions are presented to listeners with empowered vocal images. Walk through our show,and they will be yours!

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