The Archive

Etymology Journal · D

Don't cry over spilled milk

Meaning

Do not waste time being sad or angry about mistakes that are already made and cannot be fixed. It encourages moving forward instead of dwelling on small accidents.

Resilient, practical

Used in a sentence

  • The vase is broken, but do not cry over spilled milk.
  • We missed our flight, but there is no use crying over spilled milk.
  • You dropped the project files, but let us just start over and not cry over spilled milk.

The backstory

This phrase has been around for centuries and is quite literal. In the days before refrigeration, spilled milk was a genuine, albeit small, tragedy because it was difficult to replace.

Heard in

Nationwide

Vibe check