{"id":4553,"date":"2022-06-28T17:42:32","date_gmt":"2022-06-28T17:42:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=4553"},"modified":"2022-06-28T17:42:32","modified_gmt":"2022-06-28T17:42:32","slug":"been-there-done-that-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/been-there-done-that-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Been There Done That \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did someone ask you to accompany them somewhere you\u2019ve been before that you found highly uninteresting? If so, you could tell them that you\u2019ve \u201cbeen there, done that\u201d<\/em> as a way to say that their suggestion doesn\u2019t excite you. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cbeen there, done that<\/em>\u201d means you have already done a task or attended an event or place to the point of boredom. It\u2019s a way of expressing you have no interest in doing what other people suggest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The saying can apply to any suggestion from another person where you feel bored or uninspired by what they want to do. You can use it to describe feelings of apathy or as a segue to suggest something you find interesting as a replacement for the original idea.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cFrancesca\u2019s again? Been there, done that. Let\u2019s rather go somewhere else for dinner this evening.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMexico? Been there, done that. Let\u2019s go to Europe for our summer vacation this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m not keen on that place. Been there, done that. I want a new, fresh experience, not the same old thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSocialism? We\u2019ve been there, done that several times in history. It never works out the way the people expect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to get one of those \u2018been there, done that\u201d shirts to remember my trip to New York City. I\u2019m sure I saw them selling them at that bazaar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to go diving this weekend? Been there, done that. It\u2019s not as cool as you think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s skip the club this weekend and do something else. It\u2019s getting old, and I feel like I\u2019ve been there, done that a hundred times.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFishing at the lake? Been there, done that. Call me when you want to go fishing someplace different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression \"been there, done that\" originates from the 1970s. The phrase first appeared in the shorter format \"been there.\" Unlike many idiomatic phrases, this is one of the rare examples where the expression added words rather than removed them from the saying.<\/p>\n

An early example of \"been there\" comes from the American novelist Edwin Torres, in his book \"Carlito's Way,\" published in 1975, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n

\"Money is only an object. I'll get it. Got it, been there.\"<\/p>\n

Many people attribute the progression of the saying to \"been there, done that\" as having American origins. However, according to the New York newspaper, the Syracuse Herald-American, it's an Australian saying. The Syracuse Herald-American published the following in 1982.<\/p>\n

\"Miss Tewes, who has just got divorced, says she doesn't plan to get married at this time. Using an Australian expression, she says, 'Been there, done that.'\"<\/p>\n