- Meaning
- This idiom describes past events, conflicts, or issues that are no longer relevant, forgiven, or worth dwelling on, as if they have flowed away like water passing under a bridge, leaving no lasting impact. It conveys a sense of letting go, moving on, or accepting that what’s done is done, often used in personal, relational, or reflective contexts to emphasize closure or reconciliation. The phrase carries a tone of calm acceptance, forgiveness, or perspective, reflecting cultural valuing of emotional maturity and the human capacity to release grudges for peace. It resonates in moments of resolution or hindsight, capturing the transient nature of conflicts, and its serene imagery adds a layer of poetic tranquility, evoking a river’s unstoppable flow. The idiom often fosters healing or progress, making it a soothing metaphor for leaving the past behind.
- Origin
- The phrase likely originated in early 20th-century Britain or America, rooted in the imagery of rivers and bridges as symbols of time and passage, common in literature and folklore. Its earliest recorded use appears in a 1913 *The Times* article, describing old disputes as ‘water under the bridge’ to advocate moving forward. The idiom gained traction in the 1920s, reflecting post-World War I desires for healing, as seen in Virginia Woolf’s *Mrs. Dalloway* (1925), which explores letting go of trauma. Its use grew in American English during the Great Depression, when moving on was a cultural theme, as noted in John Steinbeck’s *The Grapes of Wrath* (1939). The phrase’s adoption was amplified in the mid-20th century through self-help literature and media, notably in *The New York Times* stories on reconciliation. Its spread to Commonwealth English came through British influence, and its vivid imagery, evoking flowing water, and its applicability to closure ensured its enduring use across English-speaking cultures, from personal apologies to diplomatic resolutions.
- Variants
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- Water under the bridge
- Like water under the bridge
- Water passed under the bridge
- Gone under the bridge
- Examples
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- Our fight is water under the bridge—let’s be friends again.
- Like water under the bridge, the scandal no longer matters.
- Water passed under the bridge, she forgave his old mistakes.
- Gone under the bridge, their rivalry faded with time.
- The mistake is water under the bridge; focus on the future.
- Water under the bridge, we moved past the project’s failure.
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