TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS Definition & Meaning

teach an old dog new tricks

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Idioms and Phrases

Change longstanding habits or ways, especially in an old person. For example, His grandmother avoids using the microwave oven—you can't teach an old dog new tricks . This expression, alluding to the difficulty of changing one's ways, was first recorded in 1523 in a book of husbandry, where it was used literally. By 1546 a version of it appeared in John Heywood's proverb collection.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

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“Another driver in the series told me, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,’ and that’s kind of been his reputation his whole career in Europe,” Rahal said.

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“As another driver in the series told me, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,’ and he’s had this reputation his whole career in Europe and we’re learning his reputation quickly here,” Rahal said.

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You might save yourself some unpleasantness if you keep in mind the old maxim that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

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“I was talking to some of our sabermetrics guys, and I said, ‘Hey, I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks,’ and they said, ‘Depends on the dog,’” Baker said with a grin.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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