People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called for an end Tuesday to language that encourages “speciesism” — namely referring to animals in negative contexts, such as “beat a dead horse” or “take the bull by the horns.”
“Words matter, and as our understanding of social justice evolves, our language evolves along with it,” PETA posted on Twitter, comparing certain idioms to racist and homophobic language. “Here’s how to remove speciesism from your daily conversations.”
Instead of saying “kill two birds with one stone,” PETA suggested saying “feed two birds with one scone.” Instead of “beat a dead horse,” PETA recommended “feed a fed horse.”