IdiomDaily LifeEnglish

on a treadmill

Meaning: In a dull and boring routine.

Example: “Same bus, same desk, same sandwich: I feel like I'm on a treadmill.”

Origin: Treadmills were introduced in 19th-century British prisons, where inmates walked endlessly on a turning wheel as punishment, often to grind grain. The image of monotonous, pointless labor soon became figurative.

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