Old news 📜📰

Meaning

Information that is no longer new or surprising because it has been known for a long time.

Origin

Imagine the thunderous roar of the printing press, churning out newspapers by the thousands. Each morning, fresh ink met fresh paper, bringing the world's latest happenings to eager readers. But what happened to yesterday's paper? It was quickly relegated to lining birdcages or wrapping fish. That paper, filled with events and stories that were once cutting-edge, was now simply 'old news,' a concept born from the very act of news cycling through the press and into obsolescence.

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Old news represented with emoji📜📰

This playful arrangement of a scroll and newspaper invites a dialogue on the ephemeral nature of information. It underscores how the once novel becomes familiar, transforming the swiftly printed word into the echo of historical record. Notice how the very symbols ask us to consider the cyclical churn of what is considered 'new.

Examples

  • The fact that he retired last year is old news to everyone in the office.
  • Her announcement about the price increase was old news by the time she finally made it.
  • The invention of the wheel is such old news, I'm surprised anyone still talks about it.
  • That talking cat learned to sing opera last Tuesday? That's old news; he's now composing symphonies.

Frequently asked questions

Can 'old news' be used to describe something that's only a day old?

Yes, 'old news' can absolutely refer to information that is only a day or even just a few hours old, especially in fast-paced environments like journalism or technology. The term emphasizes a lack of novelty rather than a specific timeframe.

What's the opposite of the phrase 'old news'?

The opposite of 'old news' is 'breaking news' or 'hot off the press.' These terms refer to information that is very recent, has just been discovered, or has just been made public.

Is 'old news' considered an idiom or a literal phrase?

While it seems literal, 'old news' functions as an idiom. It's used figuratively to dismiss information as uninteresting due to its lack of recency, rather than strictly referring to physical newspapers.

Can you use 'old news' in a positive way?

Rarely, but 'old news' can sometimes be used positively to imply that something anticipated has finally happened, or that a difficult situation is now resolved. For example, 'His resignation is old news now, and we can move forward.'

Similar to "old news"

Water under the bridge
Both refer to past events, but 'water under the bridge' specifically suggests that a past issue or conflict is now resolved and no longer worth worrying about, whereas 'old news' is simply about a lack of recency
Déjà vu
Both capture a sense of familiarity with a situation, but 'déjà vu' implies a mistaken feeling that one has experienced the present moment before, while 'old news' refers to information that is genuinely no longer novel
Yesterday's newspaper
Both point to something that is out of date, but 'yesterday's newspaper' vividly conjures the image of something immediately irrelevant and discarded, hitting harder than the gentler 'old news'

Opposite of "old news"

Breaking news
This champions the opposite by highlighting something urgent and of immediate, critical importance, directly challenging the irrelevance of 'old news'
Cutting-edge
This argues for the absolute newest and most advanced, positioning itself as the antithesis of anything superseded and stale like 'old news'
A hot topic
This insists on current relevance and widespread interest, a direct counterpoint to information that has long since lost its grip on public attention and is declared 'old news'

Related to "old news"

A done deal
This phrase is thematically linked because both imply a lack of current dynamic action—'old news' is about stale information and 'a done deal' is about a concluded event, suggesting no further development is expected
Been there, done that
This captures the feeling of having encountered something before, resonating with 'old news' by conveying a lack of novelty and a sense of weary familiarity
Par for the course
This shares with 'old news' the implication that something is predictable and unsurprising, suggesting events have unfolded exactly as expected based on past patterns
The same old story
This evokes a narrative that has been repeated to the point of being uninteresting, directly mirroring the lack of freshness inherent in 'old news'