put the genie back in the bottle

put the genie back in the bottle

To attempt to revert a situation to how it formerly existed by containing, limiting, or repressing information, ideas, advancements, etc., that have become commonplace or public knowledge. Almost always used in the negative to denote the impossibility of such an attempt. Many people lament the ubiquity and pervasive nature of social media, but no one will be able to put that particular genie back in the bottle.
See also: back, bottle, genie, put
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • a bad apple spoils the (whole) barrel
  • a rotten apple spoils the (whole) barrel
  • a rotten apple spoils the (whole) bunch
  • a rotten apple spoils the (whole) bushel
  • bushel
  • one rotten apple spoils the (whole) barrel
  • one rotten apple spoils the (whole) bunch
  • one rotten apple spoils the (whole) bushel
  • rotten apple spoils the barrel
  • it takes one bad apple to spoil the (whole) bushel
References in periodicals archive
Two years into his presidency, Macron is under pressure to deliver policies to quell the five-month old so-called yellow vest movement, after a first salvo of measures worth [euro]10bn (PS8.6bn) last December failed to put the genie back in the bottle.
France's President Macron tries tax cuts to stop 'yellow vest' protests
It was almost impossible to put the genie back in the bottle.
The genie is out of the bottle
Walmart's battle to put the genie back in the bottle is also largely attributable to the competitive skills of our core food retailer audience, which has admirably risen to the occasion to combat the $4 billion-pound gorilla, whose cage has been clearly rattled.
Upsetting the Market Basket
But the struggle to put the genie back in the bottle won't be won - just ask the music industry.
Supporters streaming away from TV's games
In an effort to put the genie back in the bottle, the Clinton administration entered into intense negotiations with India as part of a reengagement with a country that had been largely estranged from the United States during the Cold War, because of its close ties to the Soviet Union.
Currying favor: forget about Iran--Strobe Talbott says we couldn't even keep our ally India from getting the bomb
The worse things look in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in the Bush Administration's hapless "war on terror," the more the question arises: What can be done to put the genie back in the bottle? Would a Kerry Administration rein in military adventurism and restore some sense of security to a country seemingly determined to provoke more and more resentment around the globe, making us more of a target for further terrorist attacks?
Kerry and the Hawks
Things take a sinister twist when he tries to kill off her career, but finds he can't put the genie back in the bottle.
Pacino should have pulled the plug on this; S1MONE **
So if we can't put the genie back in the bottle, is there a different model of authority coming along to replace the old?
Catholic family feud: can we find common ground? (interview)