Meaning of Groundhog Day | Babel Free

Definitions

1. An annual festival held in Canada and the USA on February 2 in which the arrival time of the spring season is predicted by whether or not a certain groundhog can see its shadow.
2. A situation in which events appear to be repeating themselves in a cyclical fashion.
   informal

Equivalents

Examples

“The prominence of the groundhog as a popular figure in the country lore of the Eastern States is shown by his having been given a place with the Saints on the calendar, February 2 being widely known as "Groundhog Day." It is claimed that on this date the groundhog wakes from his long winter sleep and appears at the mouth of his burrow to look about and survey the weather. If the sun shines so that he can see his shadow, bad weather is indicated and he retires to resume his sleep for another six weeks. Otherwise, the winter is broken and mild weather is predicted. Even on the outskirts of Washington some of the countrymen still appraise the character of the coming spring by the weather on "Groundhog Day."”

“Jackson, working on production this summer, sounded very much as if he were missing the trilogy already: "Each movie has a very different tone, feel and structure so I've never really felt like I've been trapped in a Groundhog Day for seven years working on one project."”

“Every time I go out I gotta keep my cool and watch my step / It's Groundhog Day when I wake up / 'Cause I find I'm next to you in bed”

“She'd spend ages buying and wrapping presents and never got bored with it like Aunt Maddie did. Aunt M said doing Christmas cards year after year made her feel like she was trapped in a groundhog day.”

“Mario, somewhat infamously, is stuck in a Groundhog Day of perpetually having to rescue the princess from Bowser. Even when the plot is new, the story stays old: Mario stops the big bad and saves the girl.”

“I went on maternity leave in May 2022, […] More than a year later, and it feels like I'm in Groundhog Day. Nothing has changed. We're still arguing about the same issues, just with a diminished spirit and less sense of optimism. Sadly, I'm not surprised.”

CEFR level