When somebody asks for something that you're not going to give them or do for them, your response is "Sorry, but I'd say you're looking up a dead horse's ass"
by wlp1971Sept May 22, 2009
Get the Dead Horse mug.the beating refers to the overusing of the "dead horse". Said horse is a metaphor for a joke, and the fact that it's no longer living implies that it's no longer funny
person1:hey...is that a dead horse
person2:uhhh.....yyy..yes i believe it is...why do you ask?
person1:oh no reason...say...you wouldn't wanna beat that dead horse would you?
person2:i thought you'd never ask
persons1+2 proceed in beating the dead horse
five minutes later, cop enters
cop:hey are you beating that dead horse?
persons1+2:yes...
cop:...well...care if i join you?
persons1+2:not at all
cop starts shooting horse whilst the tho persons continue to beat it with sticks, fade to black, THE MORE YOU KNOW enters along with someone from Friends talkin' about some stupid crap.THE END...But is that really the end?...Yes, yes it is...Or is it?
person2:uhhh.....yyy..yes i believe it is...why do you ask?
person1:oh no reason...say...you wouldn't wanna beat that dead horse would you?
person2:i thought you'd never ask
persons1+2 proceed in beating the dead horse
five minutes later, cop enters
cop:hey are you beating that dead horse?
persons1+2:yes...
cop:...well...care if i join you?
persons1+2:not at all
cop starts shooting horse whilst the tho persons continue to beat it with sticks, fade to black, THE MORE YOU KNOW enters along with someone from Friends talkin' about some stupid crap.THE END...But is that really the end?...Yes, yes it is...Or is it?
by liamofthe----- April 6, 2004
Get the beat a dead horse mug.Related Words
by walski69 October 24, 2007
Get the dead horse race mug.The eighth book in the Harry Potter series. All copies of this book will be invisible to everyone except the owner, due to illegal book sharing, so everyone has to get their own copy instead of borrowing others, seeing as J.K. Rowling is a poor, struggling artist who needs every bit of profit she can get... right. (sarcasm, for those who didn't recognize it)
Person 1: OMFG! Harry Potter and the Dead Horse is coming out! Gee, I wonder why it has such a weird title... what do you think?
Smart Person: personally, I think it's no use beating a dead horse, like J.K. does... jeez, it must be fuckin' horseburger by now... figuratively speaking.
Person: Oh. I still don't get it.
Smart Person: See what I mean...
Smart Person: personally, I think it's no use beating a dead horse, like J.K. does... jeez, it must be fuckin' horseburger by now... figuratively speaking.
Person: Oh. I still don't get it.
Smart Person: See what I mean...
by RoseThourne August 13, 2007
Get the harry potter and the dead horse mug.To describe a person or action
Someone or something that is completely hopeless or useless.
See also chump and dum arse
Someone or something that is completely hopeless or useless.
See also chump and dum arse
by Chumpy April 20, 2006
Get the dead horse mug.an issue that doesn't matter anymore, especially one that is referred to repeatedly (see also beat a dead horse)
by Light Joker May 9, 2005
Get the dead horse mug.When sailors returned home from a voyage, they would be paid off in one lump sum. Most would then stay at shoreside establishments catering to sailors until their money ran out. When that happened, the owners ("crimps") would advance money so that the sailors could purchase more food, rum and "companionship" at that establishment at inflated prices.
For centuries, it was common practice to give a sailor one month's wage in advance when they signed on for a voyage. This advance was intended for the purchase of needed clothing and other gear before departure. Often times this money went to repay the crimps. By the middle of the 19th century, captains were paying the advances directly to crimps for providing crew, bypassing the poor sailor. Thus, most sailors would be working only for their food for the first month of a voyage.
This food was supposed to mostly consist of salt beef. Food provisioners, whenever they could get away with it (which was quite often), would substitute much cheaper and chewier salt horse for a portion of the salt beef. Even when salt beef was provided, some of it would have been in casks for years before being given to the crew to eat, making it as hard to chew as salt horse. It was quite usual for the crew to refer to their food as salt horse when it was bad, or dead horse if it was worse than bad.
So, for the first month the sailors were working only for their food, their salt horse, their dead horse. They were said to be "working off their dead horse," and were referred to as dead horses themselves. Flogging them to get them to work harder was a waste of energy. Thus, "you can't beat a dead horse" to get any more work done.
For centuries, it was common practice to give a sailor one month's wage in advance when they signed on for a voyage. This advance was intended for the purchase of needed clothing and other gear before departure. Often times this money went to repay the crimps. By the middle of the 19th century, captains were paying the advances directly to crimps for providing crew, bypassing the poor sailor. Thus, most sailors would be working only for their food for the first month of a voyage.
This food was supposed to mostly consist of salt beef. Food provisioners, whenever they could get away with it (which was quite often), would substitute much cheaper and chewier salt horse for a portion of the salt beef. Even when salt beef was provided, some of it would have been in casks for years before being given to the crew to eat, making it as hard to chew as salt horse. It was quite usual for the crew to refer to their food as salt horse when it was bad, or dead horse if it was worse than bad.
So, for the first month the sailors were working only for their food, their salt horse, their dead horse. They were said to be "working off their dead horse," and were referred to as dead horses themselves. Flogging them to get them to work harder was a waste of energy. Thus, "you can't beat a dead horse" to get any more work done.
by Mike January 29, 2005
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