Idiom: You can't teach an old dog new tricks

 

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."


Meaning

  • It is used to say that a person who is old or is used to doing things in a certain way cannot learn or does not want to learn a new way.
  • ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ means that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to change the way a person does something when they have been doing it the same way for many years. In other words, you can’t change someone’s long-established ways, especially as people grow older. The expression can relate to a person’s habits, traits or mindset. 


Example Sentences

  • There's no way to teach your grandpa to read his news on the phone. You can't teach an old dog new tricks!

  • My secretary has been using that old manual typewriter for more than twenty years and I cannot get to change to a word processor; it seems you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
  • My mom is 75 years old now and I’ve been trying to teach her how to surf the Internet for ages but she just doesn’t seem to get it. I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
  • You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but you certainly can teach an adult a new language.
  • My 17 year old son has just started having driving lesson and he is now trying to give me tips on driving and road safety. I reminded him that I have been driving for 30 years without even one accident or one speeding ticket. I don’t know who he thinks he is! I told him, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, son!”
  • Kids are constantly going home and sharing with their parents what they've learned, and they're changing how things are being done at home. So they're educating their parents how to protect our oceans. When they say, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks," they were wrong.
  • The notion that you can't teach an old dog new tricks isn't even true for dogs. We're always learning new things.
  • In the general case, there is no point you can't teach an old dog new tricks in reality, with an awful lot of studies looking at our brains learning new skills at all ages firmly backing this up.
  • Is it true that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? No! Despite what this phrase says, it is possible for older dogs to learn new things.
  • I tried showing my grandpa how to use a game console controller, but it seems you can’t teach an old dog new tricks because he didn’t seem to get it.
  • Your father is 90 years old. You want to teach him how to use a computer? Forget it! You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, you know!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Idiom/Phrase: "It's on the tip of my tongue"

Image
  "It's on the tip of my tongue" Meaning If something that you want to say is on the tip of your tongue, you think you are sure you know it such as a word, an answer, or a name, but that you cannot remember it at the moment. Often, when you have a word on the tip of your tongue, you can remember what letter it starts with, or what sound it ends Example Dialogs Scene 1: Two friends are talking ... Friend 1: What was the name of that mystery movie we saw last year? I can't quite remember the name.  Friend 2: Oh yeah.  It was a really good movie.  The name is on the tip of my tongue.  Friend 1: It was a strange name.  Give me a minute and I think I can recall it. Scene 2: Two colleagues are talking ... Colleague 1: Do you remember the name of that software we saw demonstrated at last year's trade show?  Colleague 2:  The one that was supposed to amalgamate all customer service help tickets?  Colleague 1:  Yes, that one. What was th...
Read more

Idiom: Behind bars

Image
  "Behind bars" Meaning The idiom 'behind bars'  means in jail or prison. If you say that someone is behind bars, you mean that they are in prison. This idiom is often used as the phrase ‘put someone behind bars.’ Related words:  in jail or prison , incarcerate, imprison, lock up Origin The idiom “ behind bars ” has been in use since the early 18th century. The word “bars” in this idiom refers to the iron bars conventionally used to confine convicted criminals in jails, prisons, or cells. Example Sentences He has spent most of his life behind bars. If you keep hanging around with the wrong crowd, you’ll end up behind bars. Until the court hearing, they will remain behind bars. Fisher was behind bars last night, charged with attempted murder. Nearly 5,000 people a year are put behind bars over motoring penalties. I heard Mike's uncle is behind bars again. I wonder what he did this time! Sir, I'm afraid your son has been put behind bars on a charge of...
Read more

Idiom: (It's) the least I (you) can/could do

Image
  "It's the least I can do." Meaning Something you should do A polite answer to someone who thanks you (and you feel or wish you could do more) A common answer to being thanked for doing something is "It's the least I could do," which is basically synonymous with "It was nothing". You use expressions like 'that's the least that I can do' to mean that you are very willing to do it, or to acknowledge someone's thanks. Example Dialogs A: "Thanks for taking me to the bus stop."  B: "You're welcome. It's the least I could do now that I have a car." A: "Thank you so much for the cookies!"  B: "It's the least we can do to repay you for looking after our pets while we were away." A:   "Thanks for cleaning up."  B:   " It's the least I can do , seeing as I'm staying here rent-free." Example Sentences If your mother cooks a special dinner the least you can d...
Read more