From Slashdot:

[Wilson Gray]

On Mon, Apr 9, 2012 at 9:25 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> Yes you can, and I can too.

No, I can't "drive morale into the ground" in the sense of "lower  or
destroy morale." The only meaning of this idiom that *I* am aware of,
despite the OED, whose basis is a different dialect - what the ADS is
all about, right? - from mine. I have only the meaning, "(a) to carry
(a thing) to excess, to overdo," as expressed idiomatically by "orig.
U.S. to _run_ into the ground" and the concept of "carrying to excess,
overdoing" *morale* makes no sense.

OTOH, it's interesting to find out that the author of that sentence
wrote as he did on purpose and not by mistake and that, for millions -
presumably, since it's sanctified by the OED - of native-speakers,
including Joel, the idiom *does* have the meaning, "(b) to exhaust or
overcome [morale] through constant pressure, uncompromising or
demanding treatment, etc.," which meaning makes *perfect* sense, in
the relevant context of "massive firings and outsourcings."

Youneverknow.

--
-Wilson
-----
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint
to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-Mark Twain

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