…but maybe we can save the watches! A British guy my ex knew in Alaska in the Army used to use this phrase along with raising his hands in the air. I instantly understood this to mean that the bullshit had gotten so deep that the boots and belts were already ruined, but perhaps we could prevent our watches from being ruined. Has anyone here ever heard this phrase? I find it has so many applications!
This British woman born in the 50s has never heard the phrase.
I love it. That’s right up there with FUBAR and clusterfuck IMHO.
edit: never heard it before now either but will have to use it.
I love it, too! It fits the situation perfectly!
I think it was something Christopher Walken ad-libbed in a deleted scene from Pulp Fiction.
Or maybe when he was dumping Natalie Wood overboard.
Too soon?
That’s a great saying, I’ll add it to my repotiore… repitoire… repitiore… list of stuff I say
Heard it pretty much all my life in one variant or another - army Dad, navy husband.
[mostly as ‘save the watches, the boots are already gone’]
This expression was part of the company culture where I used to work. We’d abbreviate by simply raising our watch hand with a sardonic look on our faces when in the presence of bullshit.
I’ve not heard it before, but definitely adding it to my list!
This is going to be one of those things I’ve never heard before, but now that I’ve heard it once, it’s going to pop up three more times this week, isn’t it? 
WhyNot: I hope so! report back here if you do!
This. Love it!
Bet my ex-AF dad knows it. Not sure he will appreciate hearing it from ME, but I bet I get to use it with him at least twice in the next week. 