When someone keeps revisiting or harping on an issue that has either been solved or is no longer relevant, then we can use the idiomatic expression, “beat a dead horse” to let the thought out.
Maybe you have a friend who refuses to let an issue go or there’s a point that has already been proven and you would like your workmate to stop speaking about it, you can decide to choose other dictions to say so.
I have decided to present 20 synonymous phrases that you can use to tell someone that they keep bringing up old, and forgotten issues which could be annoying and evidently dangerous to their mental health, as living in the past could prevent one from moving on to a brighter future.
List of Other Ways to Say “Beat A Dead Horse”
The list of phrases below includes various other ways that a person could say “beat a dead horse.”
- Rehash old arguments
- Dwell on the past.
- Keep harping on it.
- Milk it dry.
- Keep flogging it.
- Argue in circles.
- Bring up old news.
- Keep picking at it.
- Relitigate the same point.
- Reopen old wounds.
- Overdo the point.
- Keep digging it up.
- Chase your tail.
- Keep droning on.
- Revisit the same issue.
- Beat the topic to death.
- Exhaust the argument.
- Wear it out.
- Keep belaboring it.
- Keep bringing it up.
Rehash old arguments.
The idiom is mostly used to refer to someone who just can’t seem to let an issue go which could cause harm over time.
One way you can properly push that notion forward is by using the phrase “rehash old arguments” as it signifies that someone finds it difficult to stop referring to things of the past.
Below are examples of how you can utilize these expressions properly based on a particular context.
How To Use:
- Why do you love to rehash old arguments? That is not something that you should be doing.
- The last thing you should be doing is rehashing old arguments.
Dwell on the past.
A figurative way to say that someone doesn’t stop speaking about resolved issues is by saying “dwell on the past.”
It centers on the idea that there is a problem that has to do with someone not being able to forget or live in the moment but would rather get stuck in the past with matters that are no longer relevant.
Instead of voicing out in frustration that a person keeps beating a dead horse, switch things up by articulating that they are dwelling in the past.
How To Use:
- Please could we just not dwell in the past anymore?
- I don’t want to dwell in the past anymore, let’s look at what the future holds for us.
Keep harping on it.
“Keep harping on it” is also a phrase that can help you let out the emotion or thought that someone refuses to let a matter slide.
Although there might be diverse reasons for a person harping on an issue, the vital thing is that they have to learn to let go so as not to keep getting hurt by the thought of the same event.
How To Use:
- Don’t you know that you keep harping on what happened?
- Keep harping on it and see where that leads you. It leads you nowhere.
Milk it dry.
What better way to understand a thing’s order than through description and symbolism? This phrase references a cow that produces milk till the point that it becomes “dry.”
It is a visual perspective that connotes the meaning that someone repeatedly speaks or tries to prove a point that no longer has any relevance. With the illustrations provided, you will be able to see how this phrase can be put to good use.
How To Use:
- You are going to milk this situation dry at this point.
- She always wants to milk the situation dry even though it’s not necessary.
Keep flogging it.
There’s always a casual or playful way to say something and for the phrase “beat a dead horse” the funnier alternative is to use the expression, “keep flogging it.”
It showcases the continuity of the person digging a case or situation that has been buried and forgotten.
How To Use:
- I wonder why you keep flogging this issue. It’s not like there’s going to be closure for you if you keep talking about the same old things.
- If you keep flogging this issue, sooner than later, you’re going to get tired. I hope that you can find a better way to move on or cope with the situation.
Argue in circles.
Maybe you’re trying to articulate your frustration with someone, making you revisit old issues like you’re in a merry-go-round.
This phrase means that someone is going over the same points repeatedly without making progress or reaching a conclusion.
It’s a metaphor for an endless, futile debate where no new information or insight is gained, just like revisiting a dead issue.
How To Use:
- I am not ready to argue in circles with someone as delusional as you are.
- Can we not argue in circles anymore? It’s sickening.
Bring up old news.
When you constantly bring up past events or topics that are no longer relevant, it’s like dwelling on a situation that has already been settled, thus mirroring the futility of beating a dead horse.
Being able to express your displeasure with someone’s lack of forgiveness or forgetfulness is important as you need a phrase like this to help. See how to use this phrase like a pro in the illustrations below.
How To Use:
- Bringing up old news isn’t going to solve this problem.
- Why don’t you quit bringing up old news? It’s not healthy.
Keep picking at it.
The best choice is to leave the issue alone, but isn’t it annoying when someone just constantly keeps picking at it?
The phrase means to repeatedly, reopen or revisit a sensitive issue, much like poking at a wound.
It also goes deep in relaying unnecessary provocation or focus on something that should be left alone, much like a situation that has run its course.
How To Use:
- Keep picking at it and maybe then you’ll find the nonexistent peace.
- Joan is fond of picking at an issue.
Relitigate the same point.
“Relitigte the same point” is a phrase that comes from legal terminology, meaning to re-argue a case that has already been decided. Relitigating a point is a direct parallel to beating a dead horse, as it involves repeatedly discussing an issue that has already been concluded.
How To Use:
- Relitigate the same point over and over again and see how tiring it is.
- I just hope that you won’t relegate the same point. I am getting irritated with that behavior of yours.
Reopen old wounds.
A phrase like this is often used to describe bringing up past painful experiences or arguments that have already healed.
Similar to beating a dead horse, it suggests that the issue should be left alone instead of being revisited and causing unnecessary discomfort.
How To Use:
- It’s like you are so happy to reopen old wounds.
- It wouldn’t be profitable if you decide to reopen old wounds.
Overdo the point.
Beating a dead horse is all about going too far with something that no longer needs attention causing unnecessary discomfort. It shows an excessive emphasis on a point that has already been made clear, exhausting its relevance.
How To Use:
- I hope you don’t overdo it.
- Overdoing the point will not help you prove it.
Keep digging it up.
When someone keeps exhuming an old or irrelevant matter and giving it attention when it’s better left buried, then you can use the phrase, “Keep digging it up.”
It’s another way to express the idea of focusing on something that no longer holds significance, just like a “dead horse.”
How To Use:
- Keep digging it up, let’s see how that’s going to help this matter.
- You keep digging this issue hope. Please learn to forget about it.
Chase your tail.
“Chase your tail” is a phrase that vividly conveys the idea of pursuing a repetitive, pointless action, like a dog chasing its tail. Similarly, beating a dead horse means that you are engaging in an effort that leads nowhere, repeating what has already been exhausted.
How To Use:
- Because you’re revisiting this issue, it makes me realize that you’re chasing your tail.
Keep droning on.
“Keep droning on” means to speak endlessly dully or repetitively. When someone drones on about a topic, it can feel like they are needlessly focusing on something long past its point of relevance, much like beating a dead horse.
The example shows how it can be utilized in a sentence.
How To Use:
- I wish you could stop droning on about the issue.
- What is your problem? Would you stop droning on it?
Revisit the same issue.
The peculiar aspect of this phrase is that it sheds light on the act of going back to an issue that has already been discussed or resolved, with no new outcome likely.
It mirrors the futility of continuing to focus on something that has already run its course.
How To Use:
- I’m not in the mood to revisit the same issue, it’s been ten years already, and I want to let go.
- Can we not revisit this issue?
Beat the topic to death.
How this expression is synonymous with “beating a dead horse,” is that it translates the idea that the topic has been discussed so much that it no longer has any life or value left in it.
The topic has been metaphorically bludgeoned into uselessness through constant repetition.
How To Use:
- What’s wrong with you? Do you want to beat the topic to death?
- The topic is dead already, leave it alone.
Exhaust the argument.
To “exhaust” an argument means to deplete all meaning from the discussion, leaving no reason to continue, just like beating a dead horse, which depicts there is nothing left to gain by continuing.
This phrase conveys that all possible points, angles, and views have already been covered. With the illustrations below, you’ll be able to include this phrase in a sentence.
How To Use:
- Say something else, I think you have exhausted the argument.
- The argument has been exhausted by your constant repetition of it.
Wear it out.
Like a piece of machinery that wears out after overuse, the person continuing to discuss the topic has rendered it unproductive. By saying this, you’re passing the idea that the subject has been so overused or overanalyzed that it has become tiresome or ineffective.
How To Use:
- I am certain that the situation has been worn out by you.
- You are wearing this matter out and it’s making you look obnoxious.
Keep belaboring it.
To “belabor” something means to overly stress or elaborate on a point that’s already been made, to the point of redundancy.
It means hammering away at the same thing when it’s unnecessary, much like continuing to focus on an issue that has long been settled.
How To Use:
- There’s no other person that seeks to keep belaboring this issue other than you. I can’t stand it anymore.
- Conversations with you will only be fruitful until you stop belaboring on these matters.
Keep bringing it up.
When someone you love “keeps bringing up” an issue that should have been left in the past already, you can fill them in through these words.
The same as beating a dead horse, it suggests that the topic no longer has relevance or value, but is still being revisited for no productive reason.
How To Use:
- I would like for you to stop bringing that up, I am sick and tired of you bickering about situations that can’t be changed.
- I knew that you were going to bring that up, I don’t want you to get hurt again because of old memories.
