like kicking dead whales down the beach

English

Alternative forms

• like kicking a dead whale down the beach

Etymology

Originating in computer programming jargon.

Prepositional phrase

like kicking dead whales down the beach

1. (simile, slang, of a task, process, etc.) Very slow and difficult.
   • 1993 September 16, Joshua W. Burton, “OD has no more alternates for remap -- should I worry?”, in comp.sys.next.hardware‎^[1] (Usenet):

     I have a full backup, but restoring 213 MB of data from one oppy to another with a single drive, even using dd and big packets, is going to be like kicking dead whales down the beach. Is there an easier way?

   • 1998 April, Mark Fabi, “Wall Street Walpurgisnacht” (chapter 3), in Wyrm, New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, →ISBN, page 65:

     “How’s it going?” I asked. ¶ “Swimmingly, man. Like kicking dead whales down the beach.”

Further reading

• Eric S[teven] Raymond, editor (2003 December 29), “like kicking dead whales down the beach”, in The Jargon File, version 4.4.7.