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to express regret about something that has already happened or cannot be changed: Yes, we made a mistake, but there’s no point in crying over spilled milk. (Definition of cry over spilled milk from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) Translations of cry over spilled milk. in Spanish. a lo hecho, pecho… See more.
Crying over spilled milk is an idiom that means expressing regret or frustration over something that has already happened and truly can't be changed. This idiom highlights the futility of worrying about past and irreversible
In this saying, the "spilt milk" is a metaphor for a bad event that has already happened. It is therefore advice not to dwell pointlessly about a mistake that can no longer be changed. This saying originates from Welsh historian and author James Howell 's "Paramoigraphy (Proverbs)," which was published in 1659. It features the following advice:
Don’t Cry Over Spilt Milk Meaning. Definition: Don’t spend your time worrying about things of the past that cannot be changed. This idiom is a classic English proverb that warns people not to worry or be upset about things that have already happened or things that cannot be undone.
This metaphor for the inability to recover milk once it has been spilled is very old indeed, already appearing as a proverb in James Howell's Paroimiografia (1659). It is sometimes shortened to spilt milk. See also: cry, over, spilt. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Feb 3, 2024 · Even looking back is foolish—that's just spilt milk. You've got just two possibilities: stop dead in your tracks, or go on.
It is possible for this idiom to be used in the positive, as in the example ‘I know he’s upset but he’s crying over spilt milk.’. However, it is almost always used as ‘don’t cry over spilt/spilled milk’ or ‘there’s no use crying over spilt milk.’.
