spilled milk

English translation: Meaning #1

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

English term or phrase:	spilled milk
Selected answer:	Meaning #1
Entered by:	Anton Baer

20:51 Feb 3, 2009

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

English term or phrase: spilled milk

From well-known saying "it's no use crying over spilled milk"

I would like to know what exactly is implied by "spilled" here.

In Russian language there are two possible interpretations:

1. ~ Milk that was poured out by chance, say from a bottle, pan.

2. ~ Milk that "ran away" when it was boiled and the fire was not turned off in time and the milk overflew the pan

Thank you in advance!

Alexander Onishko

Meaning #1

Explanation:
The Russian meaning # 1 is correct. Milk that boils out of the pan is not 'spilled'. It's not "overboiled" either. It's milk that "boils over".
However, you can't make an adjective from "overboiled" without suggesting the milk was boiled too long.

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-02-03 22:01:46 GMT)
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You are right in that 'spill' can apply to both. But think of the origin of the idiom. I think that origin would more likely be in the clumsiness of a long-ago English milkmaid kicking over a milk urn, losing all of it, and fearing the anger of her father, Henry the Eighth, or her husband, Bluebeard. When milk boils over on the stove, relatively little is lost; neither the entire morning's milking nor the output of just one cow. The kitchen maid can also quickly clean up the stovetop spill from the overboiled milk, thus covering up her wicked deed. Why would she cry, the cunning wench? Getting the straw and dung out of the theoretically recovered milk would be far harder if not impossible. Thus the spate of regrets. It's the elder women who knows the ways of the world who thus advises her not to waste her tears on her fears of a good and proper beating, but to concentrate in future on her tasks.

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-02-03 22:02:34 GMT)
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elder woman

Selected response from:

Anton Baer
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:16

Grading comment

many thanks to all!

Still, this answer was most helpful for me beacuse of the most vivid examples :)

Thank you, Heinrich!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

3 +8

lost milk

Egil Presttun

5 +4

what's done is done

PRen (X)

4 +5

Meaning #1

Anton Baer

trivial accidental events

ArabellaCE (X)

Discussion entries: 4

Answers

3 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +8

lost milk

Explanation:
The point is just that the milk is lost.

Egil Presttun
Norway
Local time: 02:16
Works in field
Native speaker of: Norwegian
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Marcelo González: you beat me to it :-)

2 mins

-> Thanks!

agree

Sheila Wilson: covers both of the asker's interpretations

6 mins

-> Thanks! "It's no use to remain upset about a past loss" could be a way to put it. The loss may have just happened, but it's anyway too late to prevent the loss.

agree

Armorel Young: yes, the milk could be lost in any way at all - although literally "spilled" applies more to asker's (1) (e.g.knocking your cup over) than (2) because one would describe (2) as boiling over rather than spilling

14 mins

-> Thanks!

agree

Cilian O'Tuama: the damage is done and is irreversible - you're not going to be able to get the milk back into the container, and crying's certainly not going to help

21 mins

-> Thanks!

agree

Alison Jenner: yes, and I think Cilian's "the damage is done" sums it up perfectly!

51 mins

-> Thanks!

agree

NancyLynn

1 hr

-> Thanks!

agree

Suzan Hamer: Similar to "water under the bridge . . ." what's done is done, what's past is past and as Cilian said, irreversible.

1 hr

-> Thanks!

agree

Tony M: 'to spill over' = 'to overflow', is not the same as 'to be spilt' = 'to be dropped accidentally'

1 hr

-> Thanks!

neutral

B D Finch: I think the point is that there is more where that came from and milk doesn't keep long anyhow. Whether it was spilled while milking or from a cup is irrelevant.

1 hr

-> Thanks!

12 mins confidence:

trivial accidental events

Explanation:
it's generally a metaphor for any kind of accidental event (mostly trivial) that cannot be mended or changed or brought back in any way- what's gone is gone and what is past is past - so there's no point crying!

ArabellaCE (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:16
Native speaker of: English

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

what's done is done

Explanation:
It's happened, move on! There's no use crying over something that's already happened and you can't change.

PRen (X)
Canada
Local time: 21:16
Native speaker of:

English

25 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

Meaning #1

Anton Baer
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:16
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 12

Grading comment

many thanks to all!

Still, this answer was most helpful for me beacuse of the most vivid examples :)

Thank you, Heinrich!

Notes to answerer

Asker: "When milk climbs toward its boiling point of roughly 100 degrees celsius, the cream rises to the top and the water beneath creates steam, causing the milk to rise and spill over as soon as you turn your back." http://www.cookthink.com/blog/?p=1403

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