Reinventing the Wheel: The Art of Avoiding Redundancy 🚫
Definition: To belabor the obvious; to start again from the beginning when there is no need to. This Americanism dates from the second half of the twentieth century and most likely originated in business or industry. “‘The new compiler here is no different from the old one,’ said a Defense Department spokesman. ‘Let’s not reinvent the wheel’” (Boston Herald, 1984).
Synonyms:
- Duplicating effort
- Beating a dead horse 🐴
- Redundancy
- Overkill
Antonyms:
- Innovation 💡
- Pioneering
- Breaking new ground
- Starting from scratch
Humor-Filled Quote:
“I swear, if one more person suggests we ‘pivot’ and ‘reimagine the delivery wheel,’ my head will spin off like a badly fitted cog wheel.” — Just Another Office Worker
Proverbs & Idioms:
- Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
- Don’t put new wine in old bottles.
- Save your breath to cool your porridge.
Literature, Books, Songs, Poetry, and Movies:
- Book: Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson - A classic take on adjusting rather than overhauling.
- Poem: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost - Contemplates choices, highlighting why not every path needs to be a new invention.
- Movie: Office Space - Revolves around redundant corporate life, illustrating how not everything needs reinvention.
Inspirational Thought:
“Redundancy only perpetuates familiarity, but true advancement lies in strategically leveraging existing frameworks with innovative tweaks.” — W. T. Wittywords
### Which phrase means doing something unnecessarily?
- [x] Reinventing the wheel
- [ ] Walking on moon cheese
- [ ] Building a rain rocket
- [ ] Climbing a sound ladder
> **Explanation:** "Reinventing the wheel" refers to doing something unnecessarily by creating what already exists. The other options are quirky nonsense!
### What is the opposite of reinventing the wheel?
- [ ] Copying a square circle
- [x] Breaking new ground
- [ ] Eating the moon
- [ ] Juggling with shadows
> **Explanation:** The opposite of "reinventing the wheel" would be "breaking new ground," which means innovating or pioneering new methods instead of sticking to existing ones.
### True or False: "Don’t reinvent the wheel" advises against redundancy.
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** True. "Don’t reinvent the wheel" is advising against doing redundant work when existing methods or solutions suffice.
### Which of these idioms justify avoiding redundant efforts?
- [x] Don’t fix what isn’t broken
- [ ] Don't square the circle
- [ ] Don't melt the sundial
- [ ] Don't pluck the moonflower by day
> **Explanation:** "Don't fix what isn't broken" implies that if something is working fine, there's no need to redo it, avoiding redundancy.
### Choose the meaningful idiom:
- [ ] Floating in pasta sauce
- [ ] Rowing a boat in circles
- [x] Beating a dead horse
- [ ] Decorating square pegs with glitter
> **Explanation:** "Beating a dead horse" is a real idiom meaning to waste energy on something that’s already decided or resolved, highlighting redundancy.
