reinvent the wheel
Redo solved problems
To reinvent the wheel is to waste effort developing something that already exists in adequate form.
The phrase implies unnecessary duplication of work: Don't reinvent the wheel—just use the existing template.
Someone who reinvents the wheel typically lacks awareness of prior solutions or insists on building from scratch when established methods would serve.
- duplicationMaking an identical copy
- unnecessaryNot essential or required
- inefficiencySuboptimal use of resources
- wasteUnwanted discarded material
- waste of timeUnproductive expenditure of hours
superfluousness · existing · not invented here · start from scratch · square one · back to basics · redundancy · same old same old · overengineering · beat a dead horse · repetition · old hat · develop · rework · create · innovation · go round in circles · carry coals to Newcastle
reinvent the wheelstand on the shoulders of giants
Advance using predecessors' discoveries
reuse · repurpose · optimize · streamline · plug and play
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