English Idioms
Comprehensive resource for understanding and mastering English idioms
Memory like a sieve
Meaning
The idiom "memory like a sieve" means that your memory is so poor that it's easy to forget what you did or said, or even who someone is. It suggests that your memory is so weak that it resembles a sieve with holes in it, through which things can easily pass.
Usage
- I forgot my best friend's birthday and I feel terrible about it. She'll be mad at me for not remembering.
- My grandfather has memory like a sieve. He forgets everything he did yesterday.
- When we were kids, we used to play a game where we would try to remember as much information as possible after a few minutes of studying it.
- I had a terrible night's sleep and now my memory is shot. I can't remember anything from this morning.
- My friend got really angry with me because I didn't remember her sister's birthday. She said that forgetting someone's special day is the worst thing in the world.
Roots and History
The idiom "memory like a sieve" has been used since at least the 18th century. It was first recorded in the English language by John Chatterton in his book "Catalogue of Proverbs and Sayings" in 1770, where he wrote: "Whence it is that memory is said to be like a sieve".
The original meaning of the idiom was that someone's memory was so weak that it resembled a sieve with holes in it. However, over time, the metaphor has evolved to suggest that someone's memory is simply poor and easily forgetful.
Synonyms in English
- Faulty memory
- Impaired memory
- Weak memory
- Poor recollection
- Memory loss
Synonyms in other languages
- Espagnol: Memoria de barro
- Français: Souvenir de tissu
- Deutsch: Vergesslichkeit wie einen Spinnwebenkuchen
- Italiano: Memoria da risciocco
- Spanish: Memoria como una colanda