- Meaning
- This idiom means to waste time or energy regretting something that cannot be undone, such as a past mistake or loss. It advises against dwelling on irreversible events, promoting acceptance and forward-thinking instead. The phrase is used in personal, professional, or emotional contexts to encourage resilience, often with a gentle or admonishing tone, and reflects the futility of lamenting what’s already happened.
- Origin
- The phrase likely originated in 17th-century English, tied to domestic life where spilling milk was a common, irreversible loss in households dependent on limited resources. An early version appears in James Howell’s 1659 *Paroimiografia*: ‘No weeping for spilt milk.’ The proverb reflects agrarian values of practicality and thrift. By the 19th century, it was widely used, with Charles Dickens employing it in *Barnaby Rudge* (1841) to dismiss futile regrets. Its spread in American English, especially during the Great Depression, underscored its relevance to coping with loss, and it remains a universal metaphor for letting go of the past.
- Variants
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- Cry over spilt milk
- No use crying over spilled milk
- Don’t cry over spilled milk
- Examples
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- There’s no use crying over spilled milk—let’s move on from the failed deal and find new opportunities.
- She cried over spilt milk for days after missing the deadline, but it didn’t change anything.
- Don’t cry over spilled milk; you can’t undo the argument, so just apologize and move forward.
- He was upset about losing the game, but crying over spilled milk won’t improve his skills.
- No use crying over spilt milk—focus on preparing for the next exam instead of regretting the last one.
- They cried over spilled milk after the event flopped, but learned to plan better next time.
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