same old story / lyre
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same old story
An idiom for a topic, complaint, or story that has been repeated so often that it has become boring or annoying.
Bitte nicht schon wieder die alte Leier von der ungerechten Arbeit!
Please, not the same old story about unfair work again!
lyre
A historical plucked string instrument with strings, used in antiquity, especially in Greece, to accompany singing and poetry.
Auf dem antiken Vasenbild ist ein Dichter mit einer Leier in der Hand dargestellt.
On the ancient vase painting, a poet is shown with a lyre in his hand.
hurdy-gurdy
A colloquial term for the hurdy-gurdy, a musical instrument in which the strings are bowed by a wheel that is turned with a crank.
Der Straßenmusiker spielte auf seiner Leier eine mittelalterliche Melodie.
The street musician played a medieval melody on his hurdy-gurdy.
The idiom 'die alte Leier' (the same old story) is almost always used with the adjective 'alte' (old). It describes a topic that has been repeated so often that it is perceived as tiring or predictable.
Jedes Mal, wenn wir uns treffen, kommt er mit der alten Leier, dass früher alles besser war.
Every time we meet, he comes out with the same old story that everything used to be better.
You can almost always recognize the figurative meaning from the adjective 'alte' (old). When people talk about 'der alten Leier' (the same old story), they mean the annoying repetition. Without 'alte', 'Leier' usually refers to a musical instrument.
Seine Ausreden sind doch immer die gleiche alte Leier.
His excuses are always the same old story.
The idiom 'die alte Leier' (the same old story) derives from the sound of the hurdy-gurdy. The instrument produces a melody often perceived as monotonous, which serves as a metaphor for a constantly repeated, boring story.
Ich kann seine Klagen nicht mehr hören, es ist immer dieselbe Leier.
I can't listen to his complaints anymore; it's always the same old story.
In the meaning of the ancient instrument, the lyre is an important cultural symbol. It stands for poetry and music, especially in ancient Greece, and is often depicted with poets or gods such as Apollo.
In der griechischen Mythologie ist die Leier das Instrument des Gottes Apollon.
In Greek mythology, the lyre is the instrument of the god Apollo.
As a term for the hurdy-gurdy, the word is often found in the context of medieval markets, folk festivals, or street music. The instrument produces a characteristic continuous tone through a crank.
Auf dem Mittelaltermarkt spielte ein Mann auf einer alten Leier.
At the medieval market, a man played an old hurdy-gurdy.
