Etymology From the title of the film Groundhog Day (1993), in which a man is forced to live out the same day over and over in a time loop.
1
Informal A situation in which events appear to be repeating themselves in a cyclical fashion.
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."2003, Angie Errigo, The Rough Guide to the Lord of the Rings, Rough Guides, →ISBN, page 137:
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 bed2006, “Are We Friends Or Lovers?”, in Tired of Hanging Around, performed by The Zutons:
3 more examples
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.2011, Cathy Hopkins, Million Dollar Mates: Paparazzi Princess, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:
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.2011, Jeff Ryan, Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America, Penguin, →ISBN:
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.2023 July 26, Stefanie Foster, “Comment: Rebuild trust or it's game over”, in RAIL, number 988, page 3:
Groundhog Day
verb
Etymology From the title of the film Groundhog Day (1993), in which a man is forced to live out the same day over and over in a time loop.
1
Informal To live out a situation in which events appear to be repeating themselves in a cyclical fashion.
When Dis told her about groundhog daying, named after the old movie, she'd underestimated the way the experience would play out for her, going through the same conversations over again, trying different gambits but ending up in the same[…]2017 April 25, Cory Doctorow, Walkaway, Head of Zeus Ltd, →ISBN: