English
Alternative forms
Verb
cry over spilt milk (third-person singular simple present cries over spilt milk, present participle crying over spilt milk, simple past and past participle cried over spilt milk)
- To worry about unfortunate events which have already happened and which cannot be changed.
Usage notes
- Usually found as a negative imperative: don't cry over spilt milk or there's no use crying over spilt milk.
Don't waste your time worrying about things you cannot change.
Translations
to worry about unfortunate events which have already happened
- Arabic: (please verify)لَا تَبْك عَلَى اَلْحَلِيب اَلْمَسْكُوب (lā tabk ʿalā l-ḥalīb al-maskūb)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: (please verify)覆水難收, (please verify)覆水难收 (zh) (fùshuǐnánshōu), (the timber has been turned into a boat already) (please verify)木已成舟 (zh) (mùyǐchéngzhōu)
- Czech: plakat nad rozlitým mlékem
- Dutch: (please verify)gedane zaken nemen geen keer
- Finnish: itkeä maahan kaatunutta maitoa
- French: pleurer sur le lait renversé
- German: (please verify)hin ist hin
- Hebrew: (please verify)אין בוכים על חלב שנשפך (he)
- Icelandic: (please verify)ekki er hægt að sjá við öllum leka
- Indonesian: nasi sudah menjadi bubur
- Irish: (please verify)níl maith sa seanchas nuair a bhíos an anachain déanta
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See also
References
- Gregory Y. Titelman, Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings, 1996, ISBN 0-679-44554-4, p. 63.