🗓️ Idiom: Let Bygones Be Bygones (verb phrase)
💬 Meaning
- To stop thinking about past problems and forgive someone.
- To agree to move forward without anger or blame.
🧠 Example Sentences
- After their argument, they agreed to let bygones be bygones and focus on the project.
- The two departments finally decided to let bygones be bygones and work together again.
- It is easier to solve conflicts when both sides choose to let bygones be bygones.
🏛️ Origin
This expression comes from old English, where “bygones” meant “things that have passed.” The idea is that past events should stay in the past. Over time, it became a common phrase for forgiving mistakes and moving forward.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
After weeks of tension, both teams agreed to __________ and restart their cooperation.
Answer
let bygones be bygones
2. Choose the correct answer:
If two managers “let bygones be bygones,” they:
a) Bring up old problems again
b) Forgive past issues and move on
c) Refuse to resolve the conflict
Answer
b) Forgive past issues and move on
3. Change the sentence using “let bygones be bygones”:
“They forgot the past argument and decided to work together again.”
Answer
They let bygones be bygones and worked together again.
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