What's the origin/background of the phrase "water under the bridge"? To what does it allude?
I understand it means to let bygones be bygones–to move on from the past. But I don't think I understand what water and the bridge represent.
Learn English – What’s the origin of “water under the bridge”
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Best Answer
I could not find earlier mention in English, but in French several expressions using the component water under the bridge with the acception of time passing only in one direction can be found in the sayings:
(to let water flow under the bridge, meaning to let it go)
and
(There will be lot of water flowing under the bridge meaning it'll happen in a long time)
Both expressiosn can be found in the 18th century Dictionnaire de l'académie française http://books.google.fr