old chestnut
Plural
old chestnuts
1
a joke, story, or topic of discussion that has become repetitive and uninteresting
The idiom "old chestnut" originates from an English play called "The Broken Sword" written by William Dimond in 1816. In the play, a character repeats a humorous anecdote involving a horse chestnut tree several times, to the point where it becomes tiresome for the other characters. Over time, the phrase came to represent a worn-out or overused joke, story, or idea that has lost its freshness and novelty.
- Oh no, not that old chestnut again!I've heard that story a thousand times.
- He keeps bringing up that old chestnut about his high school glory days whenever we get together.
- The politician's promises to lower taxes are just another old chestnut we've heard in every election.
- The movie relied on tired old chestnuts for its humor, lacking any original jokes.
- I don't want to hear your old chestnut theory about aliens causing crop circles.It's been debunked countless times.