Meaning of Idiom “Go Over the Same Old Ground”
1. to have the same conversation and discuss the same topic that has already been discussed many times.
2. to repeat the same points or ideas, or revisit the same topics and therefore say nothing new or of consequence.
Go over the same old ground can be used to describe pieces of writing, courses, conversations, speeches, etc. The word “old” in same old ground is optional but commonly used. As well, the word back is sometimes added as in “Go back over the same old ground.” The idiom has several standard variations:
- break the same (old) ground
- cover the same (old) ground
- run over the same (old) ground
All these variations suggest a person who walks over the same area again and again or a farmer who continues to plough the same ground he has already ploughed.
Sentence Examples
“I’m tired of going over the same old ground with you. There’s no point in continuing to talk about this.”
“My boss is fond of calling us in for early Saturday morning meetings so he can go over the same ground he went over the week before. I think the man just likes to hear himself talk.”
“My uncle wrote a book about the Civil War. I was impressed, at first but then I read it and found out he was just going back over the same old ground as dozens of other books.”
“Both books cover the same ground but only one is selling well.”
“I wish I could have done more to save our marriage. I feel like I’m going over the same ground again and again, thinking about it.”
“Look, I told you yesterday, I’m guilty. Now I don’t see any point in going over the same ground again.” “Oh, we’re not going over the same ground, Major. I’d like to touch on some things that we didn’t even mention yesterday.” — Time Limit (1957)
“Look, all we’re doing is just going over the same ground again and again.” “What do we do now then?” “We vote. Guilty or not guilty.” — Law and Order (1975)
Origin
Used since at least the mid-1800s, the “ground” refers to a topic. The expression alludes to a person retracing their steps and revisiting the same territory or path. Given the variation “break the same ground,” it’s possible that the original allusion is to a farmer ploughing the same stretch of field that he has already ploughed before. However, it is not clear which of the variations occurred earliest.