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"let bygones be bygones"

what exactly does it mean?

what is a bygone?

what language is it?

how old is the saying?

what is it's origines?




on that train of thought.....

what is the oldest saying still commonly used in america? also same basic questions as above.

http://www.goenglish.com/LetBygonesBeBygones.asp

from goenglish.com:
A "bygone" is something which has already happened; the time when it happened has "gone by". We say "let bygones be bygones" to people who have had a disagreement in the past when we want them to move forward leaving their disagreement in the past. Example: "You and I have had our disagreements; let's let bygones be bygones." {often used with: Forgive and forget}

How come I can't see the light go from the light bulb to the wall?

It's too fast... And to see it, it has to go to your eye.

The British are coming?

no, i mean the oldest saying period. doesn't have to be first said by an american. like is there a common saying that is still being used that was originally said in ancient rome? or even older?

i mean people say old sayings all the time. i just started wondering how old they really are.

"Let there be light!", perhaps. Or similar Biblical quotation, the oldest books from the Bible predate the classical Greek stuff, which I should think is the other main contender for old quotation, by a little way.

There are things like the Rig Veda and Gilgamesh and Egyptian stuff which go back further but I can't think of any commonly used quotes from them in English - there could be, though.

(edit) Hehe, having said that, the difference between Genesis and the Epic of Gilgamesh is not perhaps that great, so if someone mentions "sending out a dove", you could make a reasonable claim for it to be 4000 years old or more.

Random new question:

Why do people ask stupid questions?