phrase
Out, Damned Spot
Guilt โ usually for something that can't be undone โ that won't go away no matter how hard you try to wash it off.
Origin
Lady Macbeth, sleepwalking in Act V of Macbeth, rubs her hands raw trying to scrub off the imaginary blood of the king they murdered: 'Out, damned spot! out, I say! โฆ who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?' She kills herself shortly after.
Modern usage
Quoted earnestly and ironically in any context of stubborn guilt or stains that won't lift โ coffee on a shirt, a bad reputation, a deleted but screenshot tweet.
Tags
guilt
stain
remorse