Definition
老掉牙 is a vivid colloquial expression that literally means 'teeth fall out from old age', but it's used figuratively to describe something extremely outdated, obsolete, or clichéd — like an old joke, worn-out technology, or a tired argument. You'll hear it as a predicate (subject + 老掉牙了) to emphasize that something is hopelessly behind the times.
v.p.
very oldobsoleteoutdatedclichéd
Examples
- 老掉牙。Zhège ruǎnjiàn de shèjì zǎo jiù lǎo diào yá le.The design of this software has long been obsolete.
- 老掉牙，。Tā jiǎng de xiàohua lǎo diào yá le, méi rén juéde hǎoxiào.The joke he told is so old that nobody finds it funny.
- 老掉牙，。Nàxiē guāndiǎn lǎo diào yá, xiànzài hěn shǎo yǒu rén xiāngxìn le.Those views are out of date; few people believe them anymore.
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