play the same tape

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play the same tape (third-person singular simple present plays the same tape, present participle playing the same tape, simple past and past participle played the same tape)

1. (idiomatic) To repeat exactly what one previously said or did.
   • 2001 August 29, Matthew Jukes, "A German gem", The Daily Telegraph, available,

     There are things some people might wish to alter about [the restaurant] Die Jägerhütte (for myself, they could play the same tape for months and I still wouldn't slap a thigh).

   • 2002, Mary Virginia Hall, Loving Is a Gift, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 17:

     I married a man much like my controlling stepfather. We tend to play the same tape until we see who we are.

   • 2007, Gary Chapman, Catherine Palmer, It Happens Every Spring, Tyndale House, →ISBN, page 54:

     All they do in church is play the same tape over and over. I could recite that stuff by heart.

   • 2008 January, Sastry G. Pantula, “My Trip to the Hill”, in Notices of the American Mathematical Society, volume 55, number 1, page 56:

     We met a staff member, Pat, from Senator Dole's office first.... We had our message clear and crisp. We gave a couple of examples... . We indicated... . We talked about... . We thanked Pat and, as we walked to Senator Burr's office, congratulated each other... . We had a very good meeting with John from Senator Burr's office and played the same tape from our earlier meeting.