Idiom
Queen Anne's dead
Meaning
That is yesterday's news; everybody knows that already.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Don't tell me that; Queen Anne's dead.”
“Everyone knows the price went up; Queen Anne's dead.”
“You are telling me the store is closing, but Queen Anne's dead; we heard that weeks ago.”
“My brother tried to explain how the movie ends, but I told him Queen Anne's dead because I saw it last summer.”
“She ran into the office to report the new schedule, only for her boss to reply that Queen Anne's dead and the emails were already sent.”
“When he excitedly announced the merger as if it were a fresh secret, his colleagues simply sighed and reminded him that Queen Anne's dead.”
Examples
simple
“Don't tell me that; Queen Anne's dead.”
“Everyone knows the price went up; Queen Anne's dead.”
contextual
“You are telling me the store is closing, but Queen Anne's dead; we heard that weeks ago.”
“My brother tried to explain how the movie ends, but I told him Queen Anne's dead because I saw it last summer.”
“She ran into the office to report the new schedule, only for her boss to reply that Queen Anne's dead and the emails were already sent.”
complex
“When he excitedly announced the merger as if it were a fresh secret, his colleagues simply sighed and reminded him that Queen Anne's dead.”
Origin
The expression originates from the death of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, in 1714. It emerged as a sardonic response to those who would deliver the news of her passing long after it had become common knowledge. Having occupied the throne during a period of significant political instability, the Queen managed to die with such finality that the announcement of the event soon became the standard for any report of an obsolete or entirely obvious nature.
Key words
Related idioms
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