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 Replies: 19 / Views: 2,648 |
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Valued Member
United States
343 Posts |
Except they ARE beating the dead horse. It happens a lot when a lot of the same questions get asked (and answered.) I take it as a nice(ish) way for the members to help school the newbies.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
 Except could never figure why they are taking bites out of it? |
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Pillar of the Community
798 Posts |
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Moderator
 Australia
16850 Posts |
You will notice that the forum code that generates this smilie-symbol is [b dh]. "BDH" is an acronym for "Beating a Dead Horse". The expression "to beat a dead horse" (usually rendered "to flog a dead horse" in some parts of the world) means "To attempt to re-argue a point of debate or discussion that has already been argued for a very long time. All possible issues and points of view of the debate have already been raised, refuted and counter-refuted; there is nothing that could possibly be gained from continuing the debate; yet someone appears to be making just such an attempt". The expression is old, and dates from when horses were a normal form of transportation. If a horse was unwilling to do what you wanted it to do, rendering physical violence unto the horse sometimes got you the desired result (this was back in the days before animal cruelty was considered a crime). But obviously, if the horse is actually dead, beating it to try to make it do what you want it to do is futile because the animal is no longer capable of responding. It is dead; continuing to beat it will not make it less dead, or more responsive. You will see it used, for example, in the forum member known as Fox's obsession with reforming American currency to introduce circulating 50 cent coins and $2 and $200 bills. All of the reasons for and against doing such things have been raised in every single thread Fox posts on the subject. Yet Fox continues to post new threads on exactly the same subject, routinely. So when someone posts "  " they are, in effect, saying "I'm sick and tired of you saying the same thing over and over again. Please find something different to talk about.". Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5862 Posts |
Good explanation, Sap! I thought it was pretty obvious, but I've always wondered why two of the smileys seem to be biting the poor horse instead of flogging it...
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Pillar of the Community
United States
604 Posts |
Sap hit the nail on the head for explaining it.  |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
This is a Forum dedicated to developing new numismatists. We flog dead horses as a part of our mission, repeating the same topics time and again. That's how it works. The smiley was therefore imperative.  |
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
10743 Posts |
But.. no one has answered why they are biting it..  |
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Moderator
United States
189340 Posts |
They are not biting. They are hitting. Smilies got no arms.  |
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Valued Member
 United States
190 Posts |
Oh my gosh too funny!  Shaft is just kind hearted like me and worried about the poor horse... by the way, thanks sap... That explains a lot! I didn't know the saying "beat the dead horse" guess we learn something new everyday :) |
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Valued Member
United States
190 Posts |
And Jbuck... They do to have arms... Watch this smiley beat the floor while roflol Therefore; no need to bite  |
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Moderator
United States
189340 Posts |
I should say these particular smiles do not have arms...  And the one on the right seems to have an invisible arm or floating hand on that whip.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1476 Posts |
The one on the right with the whip does! (or a hand at least) And the one on the left IS takeing a chomp out of the poor thing, even draws blood!  Edited by Dar
03/20/2015 6:08 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
767 Posts |
The one on top appears to be attacking the horse with its' chin. Does it matter though? I mean come on - at this point we're all just... Edited by scottk
03/20/2015 6:38 pm
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Moderator
Australia
16850 Posts |
Quote:
And the one on the left IS takeing a chomp out of the poor thing, even draws blood... No. All three of them at first run up to it and either hit it or kick it, or maybe jump on it (we can't tell, since they are drawn with neither hands nor feet at this stage). Then each of them try something different; the guy on the left tries lifting up the head (using his invisible hands) and then wither dropping it or smacking it into the ground. The guy in the middle appears to be shouting at it. The guy on the right is using the whip. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Posted 03/20/2015 08:39 am
