to rake over the past
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
rememorar el pasado
- It's unhealthy to constantly rake over the past instead of moving forward.
Examples
-
She tends to rake over the past whenever an argument starts.
-
There's no need to rake over the past; let's focus on the future.
-
Stop raking over the past and focus on the future!
-
He always rakes over the past during family gatherings.
-
It's time to move on and not keep raking over the past mistakes we made in the project.
-
During the therapy session, they began raking over the past, discussing old grievances that caused tension.
-
Sometimes, friends can unintentionally rake over the past by bringing up old arguments that should be forgotten.
Synonyms
18
6.2
To mention an unpleasant or forgotten memory from the past
3
7.7
To keep reminding someone of a past mistake to control them
1
6.8
Bring up old unpleasant events or arguments in public unnecessarily
1
6.8
To talk about bad things from the past that are better left forgotten
To bring up old arguments or painful memories again
Remember past events on purpose, often ones you would rather forget
Antonyms
How Often
19
6.4
- Informal
- Informal
1
6.8
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'rake' combined with the particle 'over' suggests metaphorically combing through material and 'past' gives the temporal target, so a learner might infer a sense of examining past events. However, the pragmatic meaning of repeatedly bringing up unpleasant or settled matters (rehashing or dredging up) is a figurative extension that is not fully predictable from the parts, so learners who know the individual words may not reliably infer the exact discourse sense without exposure.
Etymology
Rake over the past may come from the picture of someone using a rake to pull through old leaves or soil again and again to find hidden bits underneath. That repeated stirring makes old things show up, so the phrase means 'to keep bringing up old events or mistakes'.