Idiom
been there, done that, bought the T-shirt
Meaning
Expresses the speaker's complete familiarity with a situation, with overtones of cynicism or exhaustion.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Don't tell me about heartbreak; I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.”
“When my friend started complaining about his difficult boss, I just sighed and said, I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.”
“If you are thinking about moving to a tiny apartment to save money, I have been there, done that, bought the T-shirt and moved back out.”
“She listened to the traveler's stories about lost luggage and missed flights with a look that said she had been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt.”
“Having endured every imaginable failure in the industry, he dismissed the young entrepreneur's advice with a weary, I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.”
Examples
simple
“Don't tell me about heartbreak; I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.”
contextual
“When my friend started complaining about his difficult boss, I just sighed and said, I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.”
“If you are thinking about moving to a tiny apartment to save money, I have been there, done that, bought the T-shirt and moved back out.”
“She listened to the traveler's stories about lost luggage and missed flights with a look that said she had been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt.”
complex
“Having endured every imaginable failure in the industry, he dismissed the young entrepreneur's advice with a weary, I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.”
Origin
The phrase originates from the late 20th-century practice of purchasing mass-produced apparel at a tourist destination to verify one’s presence there. It implies that the experience in question was a standard itinerary item, now concluded and evidenced by the acquisition of a souvenir.
Key words
Related idioms
- Updated