<P> According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the first recorded use of the expression in its modern sense was by the English politician and orator John Bright , referring to the Reform Act of 1867 , which called for more democratic representation in Parliament . Trying to rouse Parliament from its apathy on the issue , he said in a speech , would be like trying to flog a dead horse to make it pull a load . The Oxford English Dictionary cites The Globe , 1872 , as the earliest verifiable use of flogging a dead horse , where someone is said to have `` rehearsed that ( ... ) lively operation known as flogging a dead horse '' . </P>
<P> According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the first recorded use of the expression in its modern sense was by the English politician and orator John Bright , referring to the Reform Act of 1867 , which called for more democratic representation in Parliament . Trying to rouse Parliament from its apathy on the issue , he said in a speech , would be like trying to flog a dead horse to make it pull a load . The Oxford English Dictionary cites The Globe , 1872 , as the earliest verifiable use of flogging a dead horse , where someone is said to have `` rehearsed that ( ... ) lively operation known as flogging a dead horse '' . </P>
where did beating a dead horse come from
where did beating a dead horse come from
English politician and orator John Bright
English politician and orator John Bright