old chestnut
复数形式
old chestnuts
1
老掉牙的笑话, 陈词滥调
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.
哦不，又是那个老掉牙的故事！我已经听过那个故事一千遍了。
- He keeps bringing up that old chestnut about his high school glory days whenever we get together.
每当我们聚在一起时，他总是提起关于他高中辉煌日子的这个老掉牙的故事。
- The politician's promises to lower taxes are just another old chestnut we've heard in every election.
政客降低税收的承诺只是我们在每次选举中听到的又一个老生常谈。
- The movie relied on tired old chestnuts for its humor, lacking any original jokes.
这部电影依靠老掉牙的笑话来制造幽默，缺乏任何原创的笑话。
- I don't want to hear your old chestnut theory about aliens causing crop circles.It's been debunked countless times.
我不想听你关于外星人造成麦田怪圈的老套理论。它已经被无数次揭穿了。