cry over spilt milk

cry over spilt milk

English

Alternative forms

• cry over spilled milk

Pronunciation

• Audio (UK)

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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)

1. To worry about unfortunate events which have already happened and which cannot be changed.
   • 1738, Jonathan Swift, A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation:

     'Tis a Folly to cry for spilt Milk.

   • 1833, Mr. Warburton, The Sportsman's Cabinet, and Town and Country Magazine, volume 1-2, page 376:

     The Willington Mare, when she started so fast, Ah! we little thought then that the race was her last: Accurst be the stake that was stained with her blood! But, why cry for spilt milk?—May the next be as good.

   • 1985, "Weird Al" Yankovic (lyrics and music), “Dare to Be Stupid”, in Dare to Be Stupid, performed by "Weird Al" Yankovic:

     There's no more time for crying over spilled milk
     Now it's time for crying in your beer

   • 2016, Barbara Hannay, The Grazier's Wife‎, Penguin Group Australia, →ISBN:

     Don't you bloody dare cry over spilt milk. You only have yourself to blame.

Usage notes

• Usually found as a negative imperative: don't cry over spilt milk or there's no point crying over spilt milk.

Translations

to worry about unfortunate events which have already happened

Arabic: لَا تَبْكِ عَلَى اَلْحَلِيب اَلْمَسْكُوب‎ (lā tabki ʿalā l-ḥalīb al-maskūb) Chinese: Mandarin: 吃後悔藥／吃后悔药 (chī hòuhuǐyào) Czech: plakat nad rozlitým mlékem Danish: græde over spildt mælk Finnish: itkeä maahan kaatunutta maitoa French: pleurer sur le lait renversé Hebrew: בכה על חלב שנשפך‎ (bakhá al khaláv shenishpákh) Hungarian: késő bánat ebgondolat (hu), eső után köpönyeg (hu), veszett fejsze nyele 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 Italian: non piangere sul latte versato, inutile piangere sul latte versato Malay: Jawi: (please verify) ناسي سوده منجادي بوبور‎ Rumi: (please verify) nasi sudah menjadi bubur Norwegian: (please verify) ikke gråt over spilt melk Polish: płakać nad rozlanym mlekiem (pl) Portuguese: chorar sobre o leite derramado, chorar sobre leite derramado Russian: (please verify) о проли́том молоке́ не пла́чут (o prolítom moloké ne pláčut) Spanish: llorar sobre la leche derramada, llorar por la leche derramada, a lo hecho, pecho Swedish: gråta över spilld mjölk Vietnamese: tiếc (vi)

See also

• what's done is done, spilt milk

References

• Gregory Y. Titelman, Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings, 1996, →ISBN, p. 63.