same old story, the

Idioms  

1. Also, the same old rigmarole. A frequently recurring event or situation, as in It's the same old story—they won't hire you without experience but how can you get experience if you're not hired? Both these expressions originally alluded to a tiresome, rambling discourse but today are used mainly for an irksome recurrence. The first gained currency during World War II with a song, “As Time Goes By,” popularized in the film Casablanca (1942).

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Example Sentences

However, it’s also the same old story: the story of a powerful man and his powerless victims.

From Washington Times

While with the Orioles in 1968, he wrote his autobiography, “My Life in Baseball,” and noted of major league owners and executives when wondering whether black players could ever become managers: “It’s the same old story. The owners are just afraid. They are a step behind the public.”

From Washington Post

The manipulation of her narrative is part of the same old story the GOP has used to strip women of their experiences, their agency, and ultimately, their rights.

From Slate

But his remarks were ridiculed by Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, who said: “We’ve been here before, many times ... It’s like Groundhog Day. We get the same old story. The secretary of state pretends everything is going according to plan.”

From The Guardian

It’s the same old story: The liberal media latch onto everything Trump says, finding new ways to paint him as a bigot.

From Slate