# Rise in the use of "it is what it is"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 5, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119 "2010-10-05T14:42:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/1 "2010-10-05T14:42:02Z")
Is it just me, or is the use of the phrase “it is what it is” on the upswing? I find myself using it - as in “no use complaining, let’s figure out how to move on.” But I feel like I am hearing it more in conversations and even on TV. Have you noticed this in your neck of the woods? Sorry I can’t provide specific cites; just a feeling I have… If so, it reminds me of “don’t go there” - one of those phrases that seems to bump in popularity for a while… ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/2 "2010-10-05T14:54:46Z")
In my case, I believe my ears perked up to it when I heard Nick Saban use it more than a few times in press conferences. He has a number of stock phrases and buzzwords he feels obligated to toss out and something about that one caught my attention. That said, I’m sure I have heard it long before Saban’s usages, but how far back would just be guessing. And yes, it’s moving into the overuse zone for my ears. (There are quite a few threads over the years that have looked into the expressions that linger versus the ones that fade fast after the fad has burned out on them. “Cool” is one of the old-timers, as I recall. “Da bomb” couldn’t die fast enough for me!) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/3 "2010-10-05T15:00:42Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > In my case, I believe my ears perked up to it when I heard Nick Saban use it more than a few times in press conferences. He has a number of stock phrases and buzzwords he feels obligated to toss out and something about that one caught my attention. > > That said, I’m sure I have heard it long before Saban’s usages, but how far back would just be guessing. > > And yes, it’s moving into the overuse zone for my ears. > > (There are quite a few threads over the years that have looked into the expressions that linger versus the ones that fade fast after the fad has burned out on them. “Cool” is one of the old-timers, as I recall. “Da bomb” couldn’t die fast enough for me!) Yeah, I was assuming it has been in use for a long time - probably centuries - so I wasn’t looking for a starting point for it. If anything, that is kinda my point: it is a long-in-existence phrase that seems to be getting used more for some reason. The fact that you feel it is being overused gets at my OP - you also feel like you’re hearing it more…interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/4 "2010-10-05T15:01:16Z")
It’s already past it’s peak, and declining. Pretty soon, it will be “it was what it was”. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/5 "2010-10-05T15:05:01Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > It’s already past it’s peak, and declining. Pretty soon, it will be “it was what it was”. Que sera sera! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/6 "2010-10-05T15:10:01Z")
We are where we are. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/7 "2010-10-05T15:11:12Z")
I think the one that was more grating on my ears was the similar expression, often used in an exchange along the lines of: A: What it is? B: What it was; what it shall be. There’s no good reason to stop with one iteration either! In fact, entire conversations could be had with no more content exchange than that. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/8 "2010-10-05T15:12:33Z")
Okay - so this is going to be one of “those” threads, i.e., a collection of funny responses, and not actually be a collection of responses to the OP? Cool. I can deal with that - it is what it…nah. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/9 "2010-10-05T15:25:35Z")
Denny Green’s use of a variant did him little good. _“The Bears are what we thought they were. They’re what we thought they were.”_ etc, etc, etc. In fact, he was mocked mercilessly in one of the Coors postgame ads, by sports talking heads and others. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/10 "2010-10-05T15:36:33Z")
He wasn’t really being mocked for his choice of phrase. He was mocked because he was ranting - he’d totally lost it. I’ve definitely noticed an upswing in its use, though I’ve only heard it from football coaches. It’s a totally pointless statement, though, and the only reason to say it is because you haven’t got anything meaningful to say. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/11 "2010-10-05T15:37:38Z")
In the circles I converse in, “it is what it is” seems to be declining in frequency lately. It serves a purpose in particular circumstances, when the speaker wants to move a discussion from something that can’t be changed to some fruitful area of discussion. As with many such phrases it got overused to the point of meaninglessness. I will not mourn its desuetude. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/12 "2010-10-05T15:40:11Z")
“It is what it is” creep started around 2000. I heard it first in a sports context, but that might be because I watch and read about sports more than other topics. Players and coaches discovered it was handy blow-off for reporters pestering them about things they couldn’t fix (as for example their team having no talent)–it is what it is. Some time around the mid-2000’s it metastasized into business buzz-speak and all-purpose conversation filler. It spread more slowly and lasted longer than other expressions–way longer than “show me the money” or “the mother of all (x)”. But all bad things must come to an end, and “it is what it is” is past its peak. It’s day is ending, just like “at the end of the day”. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/13 "2010-10-05T15:41:43Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > In the circles I converse in, “it is what it is” seems to be declining in frequency lately. It serves a purpose in particular circumstances, when the speaker wants to move a discussion from something that can’t be changed to some fruitful area of discussion. As with many such phrases it got overused to the point of meaninglessness. I will not mourn its desuetude. 😃 See - I totally get where you and \*\*RNATB \*\*are going, **Crotalus** , and to that extent, sure, good riddance. But I find myself using it almost like “Serenity now” - i.e., a half-hearted attempt to remind myself that I am better off accepting this situation and dealing with it from there…but I can’t quite recall how it became my little under-the-breath mantra of choice… ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/14 "2010-10-05T15:49:59Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > > [@Crotalus](#): > > > > In the circles I converse in, “it is what it is” seems to be declining in frequency lately. It serves a purpose in particular circumstances, when the speaker wants to move a discussion from something that can’t be changed to some fruitful area of discussion. As with many such phrases it got overused to the point of meaninglessness. I will not mourn its desuetude. 😃 > > See - I totally get where you and \*\*RNATB \*\*are going, **Crotalus** , and to that extent, sure, good riddance. But I find myself using it almost like “Serenity now” - i.e., a half-hearted attempt to remind myself that I am better off accepting this situation and dealing with it from there…but I can’t quite recall how it became my little under-the-breath mantra of choice… As a shorthand version of the serenity prayer, I think it’s useful. Whatever mental switch you need to flip to move you from dwelling on the unchangeable is worth flipping. I’m just happy to be hearing it said out loud less often than I used to. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/15 "2010-10-05T16:34:58Z")
We need a new paradigm, so that “It is what it is” is eventually over. Let’s think outside the box. Going forward, let’s be game changers, grab some low-hanging fruit and make it happen. Are we happy to be stuck with the same catch phrases? Not-so-much. Just sayin’… ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/16 "2010-10-05T16:36:52Z")
My vote goes to _I will not mourn its desuetude._ ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/17 "2010-10-05T16:43:30Z")
I thought “It is what it is” reached a critical mass [when Roger Clemens used it during his testimony to Congress.](http://www.slate.com/id/2184503/) But maybe not - the Slate article links to [a William Safire “On Language” column from 2006.](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/05/magazine/305wwln_safire.1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print) > [@](#): > > The phrase, racing through the language, shows no sign of tiring. The first use I can find is in the Newspaper Archive, from a column by J.E. Lawrence in The Nebraska State Journal in 1949 about the way that pioneer life molded character: “New land is harsh, and vigorous, and sturdy. It scorns evidence of weakness. There is nothing of sham or hypocrisy in it. It is what it is, without apology.” > > Databases show a steady buildup in usage toward the end of the 20th century But maybe that’s just Safire being Safire. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/18 "2010-10-05T16:49:29Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > My vote goes to _I will not mourn its desuetude._ We have a winner! 🙂 Marley - I never even thought to see if Safire had commented on it…fascinating… ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/19 "2010-10-05T18:22:18Z")
It be’s that way sometime, man. Too soon? Too late? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119/20 "2010-10-05T18:38:10Z")
I’d heard it before, but it really jumped out at me in the mid-90’s when Adam Again’s album _Dig_ contained a song called “It is what it is (what it is)” _A foolish apparition A donkey in a zebra’s coat All I know is what I say, this one thing: It is what it is what it is_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119.md?page=2)