「Beating a dead horse」意味と例

「Beating a dead horse」と言うフレーズは既に解決済みまたはもはや関係のないトピックや問題について議論または追求し続けることを意味します。それにかかる努力が何も変わらないのでくだらないことを意味します。この表現は成功する可能性がないことに時間を浪費したり不可能なことを試みることを含みます。

友達と休み計画を立ってると想像してみましょう。彼らはすでに目的地を選び、飛行機を予約し、やりたい活動を決めました。しかし、誰か一人が他の目的地を言い出し、新しいものを提案し、選択を再考するようにしています。この時点で、計画はもう終わらせたので変化を望むこととはくだらないです。この状況で変化を提案するとは「beating a dead horse」のことです。決定が下され、それ以上の議論は生産的ではないからです。

このカジュアルな表現はアメリカで主に使われますが、イギリスでも「flog a dead horse」と言う似てる表現を使うことがあります。

例文

During the meeting, she kept bringing up the same issue repeatedly, as if she didn't realize we had already made a decision. She was really beating a dead horse.
I understand you have concerns about the project, but constantly revisiting the same problems is like beating a dead horse. Let's move forward with the solutions we've agreed upon.
His attempts to convince us to change the travel itinerary were like beating a dead horse because we had already booked our flights and accommodations.
The teacher reminded the students that the deadline for the assignment had passed and that discussing it further would be like beating a dead horse.
The manager had to stop the team from revisiting past mistakes and focus on finding solutions instead of beating a dead horse.
We've already resolved the issue with the software, so there's no point in beating a dead horse by discussing it in every meeting.
My friend kept complaining about the restaurant's service even after we had finished our meal. It felt like he was beating a dead horse.
The committee spent hours debating the color of the office walls, but it was clear they were just beating a dead horse when they should have been discussing more important matters.
After the decision was made to relocate the office, the constant debate about the move felt like beating a dead horse.
Bringing up his past mistakes during the argument was like beating a dead horse; it didn't help resolve the current issue.