Meaning
What does Bygones Are Bygones mean?
Bygones are bygones (or let bygones be bygones) is a term used to express forgiveness, referring to something that happened in the past between two people.
It means that the insulted person doesn’t wish to hold a grudge anymore with the offender, because what happened in the past is already in the past, and they are willing to move forward.
Origin
What's the origin of Bygones Are Bygones?
We don’t exactly know who exactly came up with the expression bygones are bygones, but one of the first recorded entries of the term dates back to the mid-17th century.
Scottish churchman Samuel Ruthersford’s used an early form of the phrase in one of his letters during his detention in Aberdeen, in 1636.
In the letter he regrets his follies and acknowledges his debt to God by writing the following: “Pray the bygones betwixt me and me and my Lord be bygones.”
Spread & Usage
How did Bygones Are Bygones spread?
The phrase is well-recognized, and commonly used in everyday English language.
In 2019, the popular rapper and pop-culture icon Snoop Dogg released his song titled Let Bygones Be Bygones, with the aim of letting the world know that he has left a segment of his past behind.
External resources
- Wiktionary – let bygones be bygones
- Idioms by The Free Dictionary – Let bygones be bygones