It means something has happened and nothing can be done about it. The bottom line is, forget about it, and move on.
My thoughts are completely opposite and that water over the dam represents a challenge of unutilized energy. Falling water has power. The force of falling water can be harnessed to turn turbines to create electricity or power machines. The higher the waterfall, the greater is the force produced. This is waterpower in its basic form. Some people even think of harnessing the tidal flow to capture its power.
The current thinking is, that Yiddish is “Water over the Dam”, and Yiddish is passé. What we need to do is emphasize Hebrew and put Yiddish in the category of Aramaic. Readers of Der Bay are Yidophiles (lovers of Yiddish). We know that the rich heritage of our Eastern European ancestors is only at the precipice of the waterfall in its quantity of translated material. The rich tapestry of poetry, literature, theater, and music is a treasure trove worth a pirate’s ransom.
