rut

(stuck) in a rut

Seemingly trapped or stuck in a mundane, non-changing pattern of life, work, or personal behavior. I had so many ambitions when I first graduated from college, but now I feel like I'm in a rut. We're stuck in a rut—let's move abroad for the summer and shake things up!
See also: rut

be (stuck) in a rut

To become seemingly trapped or stuck in a mundane, non-changing pattern of life, work, and/or personal behavior. I had so many ambitions when I first graduated from college, but now I feel like I'm in a rut. We're stuck in a rut—let's move abroad for the summer and shake things up!
See also: rut

get in(to) a rut

To become seemingly trapped or stuck in a mundane, non-changing pattern of life, work, and/or personal behavior. I had so many ambitions when I first graduated from college, but now I feel like I've gotten into a rut. We're getting in a rut—let's move abroad for the summer and shake things up!
See also: get, rut
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

*in a rut

Fig. in a type of boring habitual behavior. (As when the wheels of a buggy travel in the ruts worn into the ground by other buggies making it easiest to go exactly the way all the other buggies have gone before. *Typically: be ~; get ~.) My life has gotten into a rut. I try not to get into a rut.
See also: rut

(stuck) in a rut

Fig. kept in an established way of living or working that never changes. David felt like he was stuck in a rut, so he went back to school. Anne was tired of being in a rut, so she moved to Los Angeles.
See also: rut
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

in a rut

In a settled or established habit or course of action, especially a boring one. For example, We go to the seashore every summer-we're in a rut, or After ten years at the same job she says she's in a rut. This expression alludes to having a wheel stuck in a groove in the road. [Early 1800s]
See also: rut
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

in a rut

following a fixed (especially tedious or dreary) pattern of behaviour that is difficult to change.
The rut in this expression is the deep groove worn by a wheel travelling many times along the same track.
1995 Nick Hornby High Fidelity I should have spotted that we were in a rut, that I had allowed things to fester to such an extent that she was on the lookout for someone else.
See also: rut
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

in a ˈrut

in a fixed, rather boring way of doing things: I suddenly realized one day that I’d been in a rut for years: same job, same flat, same friends, ...
A rut is a deep track that a wheel makes in soft ground and which causes wheels to get stuck.
See also: rut
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • (stuck) in a rut
  • in a rut
  • get in(to) a rut
  • be (stuck) in a rut
  • come out to (someone)
  • as the actress said to the pope
  • pope
  • said the actress to the pope
  • horror of horrors
  • dirty-minded
References in periodicals archive
When the conditions are right --its the rut, the wind is in your face, and the ground is damp--still-hunting can be extremely effective.
Rut Gone Wild: Come November, break out these aggressive tricks to tag a trophy buck
Moreover, administration of RUT, at the concentrations ranging from 30 to 70 [micro]M, reversed the reduction of cell viability in THP-treated cells (P < 0.05).
Rutin Protects against Pirarubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity through TGF-[beta]1-p38 MAPK Signaling Pathway
In granular material layers, the mechanism of rut depth reduction through geosynthetic reinforcement may be explained as follows:
Improving rutting resistance of pavement structures using geosynthetics: an overview
(2011) evaluate an approach to predicting rut formation in AC layers.
Research and evaluation of ruts in the asphalt pavement on Lithuanian highways
Corona Light will also launch the "Rut Buster!" Facebook application in June, which allows users to create, customize and share a "Rut Buster!" video montage with Facebook friends who are in danger of falling into one of their own.
Corona ads invite consumers to break out of the "brown bottle rut"
To evaluate the impact of the rut depth on the vehicle speed in free traffic flow, three parameters of speed distribution have been chosen, i.e.
Estimation of free-flow speeds on rutted asphalt two-way, two-lane roads with the soft shoulders/ Laisvojo automobiliu srauto vaziavimo greicio nustatymas provezuotuose dvieju krypciu, dvieju eismo juostu keliuose su nesutvirtintais kelkrasciais/ Divvirzienu divjoslu ...
The preparations for the rut start in August, when the male deer fray the velvet off their hardened antlers by rubbing them on trees and branches.
Deer get stuck in a rut as reds and fallows compete for mates; CONSERVATION
Zayden, a longtime friend of Rut, has been carrying the artist's work in his Miami-based Art Express Gallery and has sold millions of dollars of his work throughout the years.
Tomasz Rut publishing company sets up shop in Miami Beach
The rapid urease test (RUT) is used at Groote Schuur Hospital for diagnosing Helicobacter pylori infection.
Evaluation of a locally produced rapid urease test for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection
"My current finances really stink, and I'm fully open to being relieved of this mountain of debt." Those thoughts are actually on the right track, if you'll keep rolling with where they lead instead of digging a hopeless rut. The persistence I talked about will come in your new actions--not in repetitive thoughts--good or bad.
Re-working your financial priorities
This repetitive behavior wears away into a rut. And the rut has gotten so deep that it is difficult for these people to see what's going on outside of it.
Institutionalized
I call myself the "rut control officer." We're in these ruts and we're trying to get ourselves out of these ruts.
The view of the future Air Force--a view from the top
The samples were immediately transferred into plastic molds used for rut testing in the Asphalt Pavement Analyzer (APA).
From roof to road: techniques are advancing to formulate a cold mix asphalt product using both RAP and shingles
The RUT Model requires the application of basic statistical techniques to calculate a predicted future risk value and historical cost value for every member of the health plan's population.
Modeling the future: consumer-driven health care will require the public to be educated in understanding the programs so economically rational decisions can be made
Sometimes runners get hooked on the same running routine-- route, time of day, pace--and what was once a routine becomes a rut. Motivation and joy can languish.
Variety is the spice of...running