# Origin of phrase "Done and done"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-phrase-done-and-done/275907>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 21, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-phrase-done-and-done/275907 "2004-11-21T03:27:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-phrase-done-and-done/275907/1 "2004-11-21T03:27:01Z")

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Where does that phrase come from? When did it originate? It’s obviously difficult to google the answer to this one, hope some dedicated linguo-doper can dredge up the goods here.

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**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-phrase-done-and-done/275907/2 "2004-11-21T04:15:40Z")

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Well, I did find [this page](http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:W2_Ufz8istUJ:rssxpress.ukoln.ac.uk/view.cgi%3Frss_url%3Dhttp://www.worldwidewords.org%252Frss%252Fnewsletter.xml+origin+%22done+and+done%22&hl=en) which discusses the origin, theorizing it to be an 18th century Irish expression.

> [@](#):
>
> it seems that the usual convention was that a bet was agreed on the mere word of the two principals if both said “done”… Hence “done and done” meant that a binding agreement had been mutually accepted.