What it means
In Aussie and Kiwi English, to flog something is to sell it, usually with a bit of pushy patter or a faint whiff of dodginess. You can flog an old ute, flog merch, or flog spare tickets outside the ground. It also turns up in flog yourself and be flogged, meaning you've worked flat out and you're absolutely knackered.
Usage examples
"Baz is flogging his Commodore on Marketplace, reckons it only needs a tune. Mate, it coughs like a pack-a-day tradie and the paint’s cactus."
"He is trying to flog his old phone before the new one comes out."
"They were flogging dodgy umbrellas outside the station the moment it rained."
"Dad's trying to flog the old barbecue online like it's some premium bit of kit, but one leg's held on with cable ties."
"I've been flogging myself all week on that job and now I'm absolutely flogged."
Where it comes from
"Flog" started out meaning to whip or beat, a sense English has had for centuries. By the 18th and 19th century it had also picked up the streetier idea of selling something off, often fast or a bit dodgy, in British cant plus military and naval slang. That selling sense stuck especially hard in Australia and New Zealand.
