Another common phrase in English is Preaching To The Choir.
This post will explain what the expression means and where it came from. It will also show how it is used and give examples.
Preaching To The Choir
The expression “preaching to the choir” means “to try to commend an opinion from someone who already has it.” Unlike many expressions in English, this is a relatively new expression and therefore, it is somewhat easy to verify its origin accurately.
The phrase “preaching to the choir” originated in 1973 and refers to the futility of preaching to people in order to increase their devotion and faith when it is already obvious because they are an active part of the church.
Even though this phrase originated in the early 1970s, it is almost certain that it came from an earlier phrase “preaching to the converts which dates back to 1867.
Both of these phrases convey the sense of futility that preaching to people who already show their devotion would create.
Nowadays, the expression “preaching to the choir” does not necessarily refer to religious devotion or faith. It can be used whenever you are trying to convey the idea that persuading people to adopt a position that they already hold would be futile. Here is an example of how this expression is used:
You don’t need to convince us that stealing is wrong. You are just preaching to the choir.
Here is an example of how this expression is used:
