To reverse an action or restore a situation that cannot realistically be undone; to attempt to return something to its prior state after an irreversible change.
2.
USUKGlobalinformalcolloquial
To try to retract or roll back consequences, information, or changes once they have been released or made public, typically with little chance of full success.
Examples:
EN: I know. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.
ES: No puedes devolver el dentífrico al tubo.
EN: You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.
ES: No se puede volver a colocar la pasta de dientes en el tubo
ES: No puedes volver a meter la pasta dental en el tubo.
ES: No puedes volver a poner la pasta de dientes en el tubo.
EN: Uh, you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, dude.
ES: No puedes volver a meter la pasta de dientes en el tubo.
EN: You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, honey.
ES: No puedes poner la pasta de dientes de nuevo en el tubo, cariño.
ID: Kau tidak bisa mengubah bubur menjadi nasi, sayang.
EN: It's very hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube, Marcy.
ES: Es muy difícil poner la pasta de dientes de nuevo en el paquete, Marcy.
EN: Now, it's not too late to put the toothpaste back in the tube.
ES: Pero no es demasiado tarde para dejar correr el asunto.
ID: Sekarang, belum terlambat untuk memasukkan kembali pasta gigi ke dalam tabungnya.
EN: But hey, you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, can you?
ID: Tapi, hei, Anda tidak dapat menempatkan pasta gigi kembali tabung, bisa Anda?
EN: Look, I'm just trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Okay?
ID: Aku hanya ingin memasukkan kembali pasta giginya ke dalam wadahnya, oke?
EN: If they thought that by Make the Switch, they could put the toothpaste back in the tube, they were fooling themselves.
ID: Jika mereka berpikir dengan Make the Switch, mereka bisa memperbaiki keadaan, mereka membodohi diri sendiri.