unring a bell

English

unring a bell (third-person singular simple present unrings a bell, present participle unringing a bell, simple past unrang a bell, past participle unrung a bell)

(idiomatic) To reverse the irreversible; to perform the impossible.
- 2004, Fern Michaels, The Real Deal, page 413:
  "We can't unring any bells here. There's no point in trying to second-guess anyone right now. What's done is done."
- 2024 May 7, Victoria Bekiempis, quoting Todd Blanche, “Trump hush-money trial: Stormy Daniels describes being ‘startled’ by sexual encounter”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:
  “We move for a mistrial based on the testimony this morning,” Blanche said. “There’s no way to unring that bell, in our view.”