# I won't go there?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-go-there/112587>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 6, 2002, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-go-there/112587 "2002-06-06T01:59:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![insider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@insider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insider)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-go-there/112587/1 "2002-06-06T01:59:49Z")

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Where did the phrase “I won’t go there” or “lets not go there” orginate?

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**Author:** ![ski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@ski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ski)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-go-there/112587/2 "2002-06-06T04:20:20Z")

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I don’t know, but it seemed to crop up just a few years ago. Maybe there was a popular movie that used the phrase.

Regardless, I wish it would die a quick, painful death. I despise that phrase.

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**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-go-there/112587/3 "2002-06-06T04:46:50Z")

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Like nearly all American slang it originated with young, urban African-Americans. You might be able to pinpoint when it made the leap into mainstream white culture, but you’re not going to figure out where it started. I recall using it in high school, more than 10 years ago.