Old reckonings breed new disputes.
Old reckonings breed new disputes.
Meaning in plain English
Old unsettled accounts can start new arguments. Clarifying an earlier understanding may prevent a present disagreement from inheriting unresolved confusion.
Example
A club reviews the notes from a shared purchase before arguing about who should arrange the next order.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The reckoning belongs to an earlier occasion, but the dispute is new. This links current friction with arrangements whose details were never settled or were remembered differently. A useful application checks records, asks what was agreed and separates the old issue from a new request. The saying does not prove that every past difference must be reopened or that one person’s recollection establishes the truth. Fair clarification matters more than preserving resentment.
When to use it
Use it when an unresolved earlier arrangement is affecting a new discussion.
Keep in mind
Clarification should not become a pretext for endless grievance or unsupported accusation.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 7; French section, paragraph 144; source wording: A vieux comptes nouvelles disputes.
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗