to kick at an open door

8.4

Waste effort arguing about something everyone already agrees with

idiom

: criticar lo que ya se acepta

Trying to introduce these changes now is just kicking at an open door.

Examples

She realized she was kicking at an open door by insisting on safety regulations everyone already supported.
He is just kicking at an open door by arguing against the changes.
He felt like he was kicking at an open door when repeating the proposal to the board.
Don't kick at an open door by complaining about the new policy!
She realized she was kicking at an open door by insisting on safety regulations everyone already supported.
He felt like he was kicking at an open door when repeating the proposal to the board.
Don't kick at an open door by complaining about the new policy!

Synonyms

beating a dead horse

vsto kick at an open door

Informal

6 7.5

Continuing to talk about something already decided and pointless

is about criticizing accepted things rather than repeating settled arguments

to flog a dead horse

vsto kick at an open door

Informal

1 7.5

To waste effort on something that cannot succeed

also covers criticizing accepted ideas as well as wasting effort on settled matters

to push against an open door

vsto kick at an open door

Informal

6.6

To try to make something happen when it is already easy or people already agree

criticizes accepted ideas or wastes effort on an easy unnecessary task

Antonyms

to support

∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

How Necessary

to raise

∞ 3.2

to go without saying

Informal

38 3.9

say no more

Informal

5 4.1

to kick at an open door

8.4

Surface Forms

kick at an open door infinitive

kicked at an open door past

kicked at an open door past participle

kicking at an open door present participle

kicks at an open door third person singular

Morphology

kick + at + an + open + door

The figurative sense ('to waste effort' or to object to something already decided) follows directly from the literal image: kicking an open door is pointless, so the action maps transparently onto futile criticism or effort. The constituents ('kick' + 'open' + 'door') combine in a predictable, concrete metaphor that a B1 learner knowing the words can readily infer.

Etymology

Kick at an open door gives a simple image: if you kick an open door, you are wasting effort because the door is already open and does not block you. That's why the phrase means 'to waste effort' or 'to criticize something already accepted'.