[Idiom] flag a dead horse?

[Polyester]

Can I say " you did something that is not to improve the situation. It makes its issue more dangerous. Flag a dead horse."?

 

[emsr2d2]

The phrase is "flog a dead horse". "Flog" means "beat" or "whip". It is, of course, absolutely pointless to whip or beat a dead horse (or a live one!) The phrase means to do something that is completely pointless and will have no beneficial end result.

 

[Polyester]

Yes, Flog a dead horse.

So, emsr2d2,
my sentences are correct?

 

[emsr2d2]

Can I say "You did something that [STRIKE]is not to[/STRIKE] didn't improve the situation. It makes [STRIKE]its[/STRIKE] the issue more dangerous. You are [STRIKE]flag[/STRIKE] flogging a dead horse."?

Yes, I meant "flog a dead horse".

So, emsr2d2, are my sentences [STRIKE]are[/STRIKE] correct?

Note my corrections to both posts above, marked in red.

The first doesn't make sense though. I gave you the definition of "to flog a dead horse" in post #2. It clearly doesn't mean that you have done something which didn't improve a situation and certainly doesn't mean to make something more dangerous.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Mona: I think that Mr. Smith would be a good manager.

Raul: No, he wouldn't.

Mona: Why?

Raul: He is very rude.

Mona: He is only rude to people who deserve rude treatment.

Raul: No one deserves rude treatment.

Mona: I think that some people do deserve rude treatment.

Raul: What kind of people?

Mona: That would take a long time to explain.

Raul: Oh, Mona, I'm sick and tired of beating a dead horse. = I am tired of discussing this with you. You believe something. I believe something. You are never going to change your mind. I am never going to change my mind. So let's not talk about this topic anymore.

P.S. I believe that there is also a somewhat similar saying of "When the horse is dead, get off." (For example, you think that young people should read print newspapers. But most young people do not want to read print newspapers. They read the news on digital devices. So stop telling them to read print newspapers. You are wasting your time. Accept reality: the horse is dead. Get off.)

 

[Eckaslike]

It appears that this is another minor difference between BrE and AmE.

To flog a dead horse. (BrE)
To beat a dead horse. (AmE)

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/beat-a-dead-horse

 

[MikeNewYork]

We use "flog" as well as beat in the US.

 

[Tdol]

If the person is making things worse and more dangerous, then they might be fanning the flames. They would need to be wasting their time and achieving nothing to be flogging/beating a dead horse.

 

[Tdol]

It appears that this is another minor difference between BrE and AmE.

To flog a dead horse. (BrE)
To beat a dead horse. (AmE)

Maybe we're crueller to dead animals in the UK. ;-)

 

[Matthew Wai]

you did something that is not to improve the situation. It makes its issue more dangerous.

I found 'aggravate the situation' below, which could be used to describe it.
http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/aggravate

 

[bhaisahab]

Not to describe "flogging a dead horse", Matthew.

 

[Matthew Wai]

I have removed 'flog a dead horse' from the quote, so my suggestion refers to the OP's context instead of the idiom.

 

[bhaisahab]

The question we are dealing with is about the idiom, Matthew.