water under the bridge

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Noun

water under the bridge (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) Something in the past that cannot be controlled or undone, but must be accepted, forgiven, or forgotten.

   Synonym: water over the dam

   They agreed that their old disputes were water under the bridge and decided to make a fresh start.

   • 1942, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch, Casablanca:

     Ilsa: It's been a long time.
     Sam: Yes, ma'am. A lot of water under the bridge.

   • 2000, Bob Dylan (lyrics and music), “Things Have Changed”:

     Lot of water under the bridge; lot of other stuff, too / Don’t get up, gentlemen, I’m only passing through

Translations

something in the past that cannot be controlled but must be accepted

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 過去的事／过去的事 (guòqù de shì)

• Dutch: gedane zaken maken geen keer
• Finnish: mennyt (fi), ollut ja mennyt
• French: histoire ancienne (fr) f, de l’eau a coulé sous les ponts (fr)
• German: Schnee von gestern (de)
• Greek: νερό κι αλάτι (neró ki aláti)
• Hungarian: sok víz lefolyt azóta a Dunán
• Japanese: 終わったこと (owatta koto)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: snøen som falt i fjor

• Polish: po ptokach (pl) (idiom)
• Portuguese: águas passadas f pl, águas passadas não movem moinhos
• Russian: прошлогодний снег (ru) m (prošlogodnij sneg)
• Spanish: agua pasada (es)

See also

• ancient history
• bygones
• cry over spilt milk
• here we are
• irreversibility
• what's done is done