old story, an

1. A common occurrence or excuse. For example, Karen's mood swings are an old story. [c. 1700] Also see same old story.

Example Sentences

The traveller gazed with a grim satisfaction at this spectacle, for it seemed to him, as to the shipwrecked sailor in the old story—an earnest of civilization.

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It is the old story: an anthill of boyish folly, a mountain of blackguardly extortion.

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The white paper reminded Baxter of a rather old story�an offer once made by Beecham's liver pills to provide a church with hymn books in return for a bit of concealed advertising.

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Doubtless the King of Saxony, who was not so young, had come home thousands of times before, and there must be something servile in a people who made such an old story an occasion for a sort of worship.

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She an’ me—an’ you, of course, Mrs. Calvert, bein’ a Calvert—Well, it’s an old story an’ I’ll wait till after dinner, thank ye, ma’am.

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