unring a bell
Impossible act of forgetting
To unring a bell is to undo something that cannot be undone—to take back words already spoken, unsee something already witnessed, or reverse an action whose effects have already spread.
The phrase appears almost exclusively in the negative: You can't unring a bell.
Once information is out, once damage is done, there's no returning to the prior state.
Common in legal contexts where jurors are instructed to disregard inadmissible testimony they've already heard.
- irreversibleCannot be undone
- impossibleIncapable of occurring
- permanentFixed without end
- irrevocableCannot be undone
- disclosureAct of revealing information
slip of the tongue · no take backs · immutable · indelible · unalterable · toothpaste · unchangeable · regret · liability · Pandora's box · retraction · guilt · confession · revelation · denial · inevitable · announcement · damage control
unring a bellring a bell
Evoke partial recognition
make a mark · let the cat out of the bag · cross the Rubicon · open Pandora's box · spill the beans
unring, ring, bell, rings, rang, rung, ringing, ringer, ringers