Episode 276: Run into the Ground

This week Shauna and Dan are feeling run into the ground. Join as they explore the possible origins of this phrase from farming to hunting and nautical to nonsense. Bonus: 17 less ads than Divorce Court in 1961

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Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
Episode 276: Run into the Ground
Record Date: May 11, 2025
Air Date: May 14, 2025

Intro

Shauna:
Welcome to Bunny Trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase.

I’m Shauna Harrison

Dan:
And I’m Dan Pugh

Each week we take an idiom or other turn of phrase and try to tell the story from its entry into the English language, to how it’s used today.

Opening Hook
Have you ever had one of those days where work and life collide and you’ve put in an extra hard day at work but you still have responsibilities once you get off work, like chores at the house, running errands, or attending some function that really wish you had said “no” to weeks ago but you’ve already agreed and now you have to go. And once it’s all done you get home and look at yourself in the mirror and thing, I’ve run myself into the ground.

Meaning
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, to run something into the ground means:

Quote
to destroy or damage beyond repair by excessive use, to wear out; to exhaust or overcome through constant pressure, uncompromising or demanding treatment, etc
End Quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/run_v?tab=meaning_and_use#24833797

As I looked into the origins of this phrase, there are 3 contenders that keep coming up. The first is nautical expression, to run aground, meaning to unintentionally have a ship move forward and hit the ground. I’m not saying this is a direct tie, but I could see how the damage caused to a ship by running aground would give an understanding of something that is damaged.

1742
Here’s a literal example of that use from Aris’s Birmingham Gazette, out of England, dated 12 April 1742 talking about a ship that took damage from running aground.

Quote
…but that in coming out of Port-Passage with them she run run a-ground, which oblig’d her to stay behind them to repair her Damage.
End Quote
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000196/17420412/004/0002

1764
Here’s an example of running aground being used metaphorically, which lends more to the thought that this could be an early version of the phrase. This is from Pope’s Bath Chronicle, named such because it was printed and published by Cornelius Pope, and is out of England. It is dated 26 April 1764. It is a poem, signed M.P., and addressed To Clarinda:

Quote
Love without Hope, is like Breath without Air,
And impossible Joy, a ridiculous Care;
Yet Cupid, like Alchimy, runs us a-ground,
In Quest of Projection which never was found:
And tho’ numberless Ruins around you may view,
Yet so pleasing’s the Madness, their Steps you pursue
End Quote
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000211/17640426/011/0001

1775
Another possible scenario is from the use in farming. Here is a good example of this, from the Caledonian Mercury out of Scotland, 31 July 1775. This is from an ad selling land.

Quote
The premisses are let for this crop under certain restrictions, so as not to run out the ground.
End Quote
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000045/17750731/011/0003?browse=true

In this case, “run out the ground” would mean to deplete the ground of nutrients and make it unsuitable for things to grow. Which is another possible origin for this phrase.

So while it could make sense of either of these usages being a sort of inspiration, I couldn’t find any hard evidence to link our phrase to either of these. Maybe as more works are digitized we shall find our missing link. Or maybe these two phrases are entirely separate despite having similar meanings.

I’ve seen other suggested origins from hunting as in running out all the animals. We’ll explore a few other hunting explanations that just don’t quite sound correct as we continue. But for now we’ll have to stick with not being sure of the origin of “run into the ground”.

1836
We’ll kick off with the first usage I could find. This comes from In Spirit of the times: a chronicle of the turf, agriculture, field sports, literature and the stage, dated July 9, 1836. Our phrase is found in a piece written by William Trotter Porter. In it, a group was trying to make a bet on a race and they were upping the amount and arguing about it, leading to this passage.

Quote
Old Tompkins, who had not appeared during the making of the race, now came round, and seeing the Bay, said—“Popcorn, by G—d.” He now came forward and addressed the other party: “Boys, it’s no use to run the thing into the ground. If a man goes in for betting, I say let him go his load, but we have no ambition against you, so draw the bet to $100, that is enough for a little tacky race like this, just made for amusement.”
End Quote
https://archive.org/details/sim_spirit-of-the-times_1836-07-09_6_21_0/page/n1/mode/2up?q=%22run+the+thing+into+the+ground%22

1859
Here’s the phrase in the 1859 Dictionary of Americanisms by John Russell Bartlett. According this this entry, it means:

Quote
To carry to excess, to overdo a thing, and thereby mar it. Probably a hunter’s phrase, to express the earthing of a fox or other game.
End Quote

Does this check a mark for the hunting origin? Not exactly as we’ll see after this next entry, which is…

1872
… the 1872 work, Americanisms, by M. Schele De Vere. This is in the section marked Cant and Slang. It has the supposed origin and definition, followed by its usage in an 1861 newspaper.

Quote
Run into the ground, to, means, in Western parlance, literally to force beavers, and all burrowing animals, to seek refuge in their holes underground ; but the phrase has long since been adopted, in all parts of the Union, as a metaphor, expressive of constant and close persecution, ending in destruction. "

The temperance question is likely to be run into the ground, sooner or later, but only to be replaced by some other question of the same kind, which will be taken up, in its turn, to answer the purposes of politicians." (Springfield Republican, July, 1861.)
End Quote
https://archive.org/details/americanismsengl00scheuoft/page/628/mode/2up?q=%22run+into+the+ground%22

1872
This feels like a checkmark in the hunting category, but remember I said “supposed” origin. In S.R. Crocker’s magazine The Literary World, October 1872 edition, a question from a reader calling themselves “Lead Pencil” asked about the origin and this is what the paper had to say:

Quote
Lead Pencil of Gorham, Maine, asks about the origin of the slang phrase “running into the ground”. Profession De Vere, in his “Americanisms,” gives this not very satisfactory account of it…
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Literary_World/VUoDAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22run+into+the+ground%22&pg=PA75&printsec=frontcover

Which would seem to indicate he does not think De Vere’s origin story is correct, or is at least lacking something to it. I’m struggling to connect an animal going to ground and thus escaping the hunter to De Vere’s definition of persecution leading to destruction. And I’m not sure that definition holds up based on the 1832 and 1861 uses of it we’ve seen, either. However, I will note the S.R. Crocker ended his recital of De Vere’s entry with this addendum:

Quote
The common meaning of the phrase seems to be to overdo a thing - to pursue one’s game until it vanishes.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Literary_World/VUoDAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22run+into+the+ground%22&pg=PA75&printsec=frontcover

And that adds a different element to the phrase that I don’t really see today. In one interpretation, Crocker’s take could mean over hunting, but that doesn’t really jive with hunting as the origin. Though it does match the definition we have now and its other uses.

For the origin to be hunting, based on both Bartlett and Crocker’s definitions, it would be the hunter overdoing it, not the animal. The hunter has gone through all the work and somehow overdone it and has no animal to show for it as the animal has gone to ground. But the animal is safe in their hidey hole. Which is an interesting take, though I don’t think that is what Bartlett or Crocker are saying.

1916
This next one is from The Day Book out of Illinois, USA. It is dated Jan 10, 1916. This from a piece called Worth the Winning. The copyright was held at the time by W.G. Chapman, though this piece is credited to Walter Joseph Delaney. In it, there is a comfortable homestead owned by Gideon Lane that has fallen into disrepair.

Quote
He had leased the North farm, as it was called, to a shiftless fellow with a large family, who had let it run into the ground so far as crops and upkeep were concerned. He had let the house burn down from sheer carelessness, and had left his donor with an 80-acre patch good for pasturage only.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045487/1916-01-10/ed-2/seq-18/#date1=1756&index=3&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=ground+run&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=run+into+the+ground&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

I’d say that is a tick mark for the farm origin story, but the author did need to clarify what he meant, so I don’t know. And it is difficult to know if the phrase is applying to the situation in general and the author didn’t want to use the same phrase twice, or if the phrase in the author’s mind only applied to the North farm. But in any case, the usage of the phrase is clear in its meaning of being damaged or worn out.

1948
This next piece comes from a USA Department of State bulletin. It is a summary of the principal problems at the Bogota Conference. It is dated February of 1948 and was in preparation for the conference that would start March 30, 1948.

Quote
The basic motivation for the trend toward centralization has been the desire to create a more effective and efficient System. As always in an endeavor of this kind, a good idea can be run into the ground.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Inter_American_Series/ogFPAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22run+into+the+ground%22&pg=PA182&printsec=frontcover

The Ninth International Conference of American States in 1948, known as the Bogota Conference because it was held in Bogota, Colombia, is a fascinating subject, especially since most of the USA’s internal conversation about it has been declassified, so we can see exactly what they USA, who was leading this conference, were thinking at the time. The outcome of the Bogota Conference was the first international human rights instrument of a general nature. We’re going to look more into it in our behind the scenes episode, which airs every Friday on our Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod

1961
Here is a piece from a Letter of the Week in the TV section of the Evening Star out of Washington DC, USA. It is dated December 10, 1961. In it, Mrs. C. C. of Silver Spring complains about the overuse of commercials during the show she used to love to watch.

Quote
I just want to say that I’m among the Club that will never buy a product that TV commercials run into the ground. My husband and I always liked to watch Divorce Court… They used to let the lawyers argue or the judge sign a paper while they ran 2 or 3 silly commercials. Last night we counted 18 commercials during the program and they broke in right in the middle of a question or answer…
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1961-12-10/ed-1/seq-237/#date1=1756&index=8&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=ground+run&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=run+into+the+ground&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

I am with you on that, Mrs. C. C. And that is why the only ad you’ll hear in our show is the one where we thank our Patrons for their support.
With that, it’s time to move to our more modern uses but first we need to say thank you to our sponsors.

A Quick Thank You
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Modern Uses

That was 17 less ads than you’d find on Divorce Court in 1961!

Let’s kick the modern uses off with…

1972
Ran it into the Ground is a 1972 song by Bloodstone. Here are the opening lyrics:

Quote
You know, sometimes the one you love can hurt you very very much... and the whole world becomes a drag
But what gets me down most of all, is when they do it time and time again. They seem to run their little game in the ground
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpNhPhjrWwo

The chorus of this song features another turn of phrase, with four repetitions of “That was the straw that broke the camel's back”. We talked about that in episode 209, The Last Straw.

2007
How To Run a Company Into The Ground is a 2007 book by Radomir Djenadic. Here’s the synopsis from the publisher:

Quote
Have you ever wondered why there are so many overpaid but completely incompetent people in high management positions? Did you ever shake your head in disbelief because of your manager's destructive decisions? Have you ever looked in awe as a market leaders waste their immaculate reputation in just few years? Search no more! The secret is out, 'their' manual is revealed to the public and available for all to learn from. How to run a company into the ground was a secret kept for decades from common people. Now you, your kids or even your dog can profit from it by starting a wrecker career on your own. Take a dive into some of the most precious advice available to man on how to ruin your company's future. Learn how to bury even biggest companies with 100% foolproof advice. And all of that without ever landing behind bars or getting any of the blame!
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/How_To_Run_a_Company_Into_The_Ground/kO8kDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=run+into+the+ground&printsec=frontcover

2008
Run into the Ground is a poem that was published to DeviantArt on October 19, 2008 by user R3D-R. Here it is:

Quote
In the states we're so hypercharged
Always going and going and going and going
Liquid glass running heavily down
Glowing and growing and showing
Always going
But if you stop for a moment, let the dust
And the bones and the rubble
Boiled blood all settle
And you realize the lubricant's gone
Steady stream, living life
Stopped from going and going and going and going
And you feel so old once you take but a second
To relax and to see the whole world's rushing by
That you start up again
Going faster and faster and faster and faster
Because you can't stop going
Or you see how frivolous it all really is.
End Quote
https://www.deviantart.com/r3d-r/art/Run-into-the-Ground-101204030

2011
Run Myself into the Ground is a song by Jessica Lea Mayfield off her 2011 album, Tell Me. Here is the chorus:

Quote
But I ain't gonna change for nobody at all
I'm starting to like this new love I have found
I don't wanna let this dark companion go
I would rather run myself into the ground
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUYXmY_CwwA

I wasn’t sure how to describe this song, but I think Stephen M. Deusner did a good job the vibe with his review of the album for pitchfork.com

Quote
Ohio neo-country singer Jessica Lea Mayfield writes eloquently analytical love songs. With her languid drawl suggesting an interior monologue rather than an actual conversation-- as if she's thinking things out in her head-- she comes across as a woman torn between her heart and her brain.
End Quote
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15090-tell-me/

2018
How to Run Your Company… Into the Ground is a 2018 book by David Gargaro. Here is the synopsis of this one from the publisher:

Quote
Every small business owner makes mistakes in running their business. We learn from our mistakes, and hopefully get better in running our business. But some people never learn, and continue to fail. How to Run Your Company… into the Ground is the (mostly) true story of my time with a small publishing company that is somehow still in business today. The hapless owner of this enterprise had many chances to grow and succeed, but he found numerous ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. This book goes through many of those mistakes, and explains what you should do to succeed.
End Quote
https://www.amazon.com/How-Your-Company-Into-Ground/dp/1980498954

2022
Run Into the Ground is a weekly podcast with Dan Bassini and Andrew Valentine that started in 2022. Here is their “about” section from Spotify:

Quote
Punk-adjacent music podcast, fearlessly hosted by Dan and Andrew. Talking to your favorite people about their favorite records. New episodes every Tuesday, Bonus episodes every other Friday on Patreon. Listen everywhere, tell everyone.
End Quote
https://open.spotify.com/show/0OQ2VNOgHqPsoys5NWVnU5

The most recent episode, as of this recording, was released in January of 2025, so I don’t know if they are on a scheduled break or if the show has wrapped.

Wrap Up
Despite not knowing the origin of this phrase, I still use it all the time. Fortunately, all 3 of the top contenders are relatively unproblematic. I like the nautical explanation best, though there is a tendency to ascribe things to nautical origin - even when there is no evidence to support it. So we’ll just have to be okay with not knowing for now.

Dan:
That’s about all we have for today. If you have any thoughts on the show, or pop culture references we should have included,
reach out to us on Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod or comment on our website bunnytrailspod.com

Shauna:
It’s poll time!

Recently we asked our patrons, which would you rather give up for a year? TV or Music?

With TV, we specified no over-the-air, no streaming services, no cable, etc
And with music, we specified no radio, no streaming, no records/tapes/CDs

This was a 70/30 split, with giving up TV being the most popular choice.

Heather said:
Quote
TV would be difficult but I think music would be almost impossible for me; I listen to something or other pretty much all day, at work, in the car, cleaning, cooking, etc. The lack of TV I could fill up with more books, but even though I can't make music I kind of depend on it for my sanity.
End Quote

Mary added:
Quote
So. I think I would suffer a little. But since I prefer making music to listening, this would be the easier of the two for me. The worst part of this choice is that I use videos for both educating my students and for inspiration. But fast rewind to the 70s, I didn’t have those resources when I was in the studio back then so maybe I would regain some skills that have atrophied in the wake of technology.
End Quote

Dan:
Emily said:
Quote
Music is my career! I couldn’t go an hour, let alone a day or a year!
End Quote

JGP added:
Quote
Oddly, I find I don't listen to music much so giving it up probably wouldn't be as hard as giving up watching things
End Quote

For me this one wouldn't be too hard for me most of the time. I'd give up watching things. I already don't watch TV shows very often and I see maybe 1 movie a year (not counting on airplanes) but the part of this that would be really tough for me is that I do like to watch certain sporting events. I listen to the radio broadcast for baseball, but during the playoffs and World Series I also have the TV on so I can see what is happening, too. And every 4 years I love watching the World Cup matches, so if that aligned this would be really tough for me. I just don't think I could give up music. Music is life.

Shauna:
For me, TV in a heartbeat. Take short-form videos, all of it… but leave my music alone.

As a reminder, our silly polls mean absolutely nothing and are not scientifically valid. And patrons of all levels, including our free tiers, can take part. Head over to patreon.com/bunnytrailspod to take this week’s poll!

Outro

Shauna:
Thanks for joining us. We’ll talk to you again next week. Until then remember,

Together:
Words belong to their users.