"Hey, Yogi, what time is it?
Yogi Berra: “You mean now?”
Yeah, and I would also tend to hear in that formulation of the question a slight trace of accusation, as if the questioner is asking because they didn’t find the scissors where they reasonably expected to find them.
Ooh, there’s another one. The British use of “whilst” where an American typically expects “while” never fails to take me aback, no matter how thoroughly I consciously recognize that it’s absolutely correct British English.
Hmm, correct by definition, albeit still dubious. Look up the history of the word: the final -st was tacked on for really no reason at all. Somebody must have really liked final consonant clusters.
Anyway, to recap, the phrase “where it’s at” is definitely a thing. In the dictionary and all. I expect that to settle the matter.
- (informal) cool, trendy
- (informal) true, truthful
Another Bob Dylan quote, from “Positively 4th Street”:
You say you lost your faith, but that’s not where it’s at
You have no faith to lose and you know it