IdiomThe Absurd
English
Englishrun something into the ground
Meaning: To belabor something beyond reason; to go too far with something.
Example: “He ran the joke into the ground by repeating it all evening.”
Origin: Beat a dead horse means to talk about a topic or idea that cannot succeed (it's dead), whereas run something into the ground means to talk about a topic or idea that may be viable, but to do so to excess.
More English idioms
- sales pitch A speech or presentation designed to persuade someone to buy or do something.
- save something for a rainy day To save something, usually money, for a possible future need.
- say a mouthful To say something important or true; often said in agreement.
- scared out of one's wits So afraid that one is unable to think clearly.
- second-guess To dispute or try to understand someone's reason for doing something.
- have second thoughts To begin to have doubts; to question and reexamine a decision.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- 서당 개 삼 년에 풍월을 읊는다 (Seodang gae sam nyeone pungworeul eumneunda) Long exposure to something teaches you it, even without trying.
- 사공이 많으면 배가 산으로 간다 (Sagongi maneumyeon baega saneuro ganda) When too many people give orders, things go absurdly wrong.
- 호미로 막을 것을 가래로 막는다 (Homiro mageul geoseul garaero mangneunda) A small problem left alone grows into one that takes far more effort to fix.
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