Cry over spilt milk means to get upset about something that can't be undone, and there's no point in it: what's done is done. The phrase is almost always used with a negative, as advice not to be upset: it's no use crying over spilt milk. It's usually about small mishaps like a lost item or a failed test. It isn't said about real grief: it would sound heartless.
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It's no use / There's no point + crying over spilt milk; Don't cry over spilt milk; cry over spilled milk (US)
- I deleted the presentation by mistake, but it's no use crying over spilt milk, so I'm making a new one.
- We missed the last train home. There's no point crying over spilt milk; let's find a hotel.
- When my brother lost his deposit on the flat, Dad told him not to cry over spilt milk.
What changed
First versionI failed the driving test, but it's no use to cry over spilt milk.
RevisionI failed the driving test, but it's no use crying over spilt milk.
No use to cry may seem logical, since so many phrases are followed by to and a verb. But after it's no use and there's no point, English uses the -ing form: it's no use crying, there's no point worrying. In the correction, to cry was replaced with crying; nothing else changed.
Don't confuse it with spill the beans: the verb is the same, spill, but it means to give away a secret: Who spilled the beans about the party? And there's one more detail in the milk itself: spilt is the British spelling, while Americans write spilled milk. Both mean the same.
Your turn
I left my umbrella on the bus and got soaked, but there was no point ___: the interview was starting in five minutes.
Show the answer
crying over spilt milk — The speaker got soaked, but there's no time to regret it: the interview starts in five minutes. That's crying over spilt milk, pointless worrying about what can't be changed. Spilling the beans means giving away a secret, and there's no secret in this situation.
Think of a mishap that couldn't be fixed. Write what happened and what you did next instead of getting upset.
I broke my favourite mug this morning, but it's no use crying over spilt milk, so I ordered a new one online.
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