# "I ain't done it" and other such remarks **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 7, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-aint-done-it-and-other-such-remarks/444314 "2008-04-07T15:27:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-aint-done-it-and-other-such-remarks/444314/21 "2008-04-09T04:38:06Z")
Last time I was involved with this went as follows: Me: "Damn, Sheryl, you’re drunk already. Gettin’ an early start on the night? Sheryl: “I ain’t done it”. (But she had) Time before that: Me: “Somebody left the lid off the paint can. Paint’s ruined. Did you do that Bobby?” Bobby: “I ain’t done it. Hit were James let that-there lid stay off.” The times before that have faded into the fog of time. As you may gather, “I ain’t done it” is not at all unusual in these-here parts. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-aint-done-it-and-other-such-remarks/444314/22 "2008-04-09T11:48:32Z")
[QUOTE=John Carter of Mars] Last time I was involved with this went as follows: Me: "Damn, Sheryl, you’re drunk already. Gettin’ an early start on the night? Sheryl: “I ain’t done it”. (But she had) Time before that: Me: “Somebody left the lid off the paint can. Paint’s ruined. Did you do that Bobby?” Bobby: “I ain’t done it. Hit were James let that-there lid stay off.” The times before that have faded into the fog of time. As you may gather, “I ain’t done it” is not at all unusual in these-here parts. [/QUOTE] Very good. Corroboration, finally. Thank you, **John Carter of Mars** , and would you mind passing judgment on the accuracy of the various usages I’ve tried to provide? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-aint-done-it-and-other-such-remarks/444314/23 "2008-04-09T13:33:13Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Very good. Corroboration, finally. Thank you, **John Carter of Mars** , and would you mind passing judgment on the accuracy of the various usages I’ve tried to provide? [/QUOTE] I have heard the phrase used in every way you listed and probably several more. Thinking about it, it’s hard to imagine a situation that requires a negative response in which “I ain’t done it” won’t work. Henceforth, I’ll be trying to remind myself to use it more frequently, but mos’ likely I ain’t done it. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-aint-done-it-and-other-such-remarks/444314/24 "2008-04-09T14:03:59Z")
[QUOTE=John Carter of Mars] I have heard the phrase used in every way you listed and probably several more. Thinking about it, it’s hard to imagine a situation that requires a negative response in which “I ain’t done it” won’t work. Henceforth, I’ll be trying to remind myself to use it more frequently, but mos’ likely I ain’t done it. [/QUOTE] Thanks! I put up another thread about “Quaint expressions” in the Humble Opinion place, after seeing your clever turn of phrase “… Hit were James let that-there lid stay off…” It reminded me of the “car came uncranked” concept. ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-aint-done-it-and-other-such-remarks/444314/25 "2008-04-09T14:16:13Z")
[QUOTE=Ceejaytee] Sort of like when my younger son stopped calling his older brother Ah-ee. [/QUOTE] Presumably after the older brother stopped hitting him…? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-aint-done-it-and-other-such-remarks/444314/26 "2008-04-09T15:02:36Z")
[QUOTE=John Carter of Mars] Last time I was involved with this went as follows: Me: "Damn, Sheryl, you’re drunk already. Gettin’ an early start on the night? Sheryl: “I ain’t done it”. (But she had) [/quote] Now we’re getting somewhere. I _have_ heard the phrase in this context (and probably used it myself in a humorously ironic way). Here it means (adamantly) “I am not!” It would be an equally appropriate response to: “You’re crazy!” “I ain’t done it!” “You’re stupid!” “I ain’t done it!” In this context it has nothing to do with having actually “done” or not “done” anything. > [@](#): > > Time before that: > Me: “Somebody left the lid off the paint can. Paint’s ruined. Did you do that Bobby?” > Bobby: “I ain’t done it. Hit were James let that-there lid stay off.” Hmm. Have never heard it used that way. The response to that question in my neck of hill country would be the surprisingly grammatically correct “I didn’t do it,” which through the vagaries of Southern lower-class pronunciation comes out as “I 'n’t do 't” which might be _misheard_ as “I ain’t done it.” spoke-, who speaks fluent _Sling Blade_. (I’m bilingual. Mmm hmm.) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-aint-done-it-and-other-such-remarks/444314/27 "2008-04-09T15:31:34Z")
I’m sure I’ve heard someone say “I ain’t never done nuffink” - a triple-negative. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-aint-done-it-and-other-such-remarks/444314.md?page=1)