“It Is What It Is”

Not really.

How often do you hear this or even use it? What does it mean to you? Ii think it’s supposed to mean something like “it’s ok”, or “it’s out of my control” or….

But it’s one of those phrases that should be considered on a purely individual basis, not as a pontification for the world.

When I put the rocks in the road the other day to protect the fawn, “it was what it was” right?

Well, to me they were supposed to be a deterrent making people go around the little one.

To a cyclist, it meant “crap, something’s in my way and I have to go around or crash”.

To the deer (if it could think or interpret things) it meant “oh good, I’m safer right now”.

To a driver coming down the road it might mean either “oops, i better get off my phone and drive in the road, not the bike lane” or “what’s that noise” if they drive over the rocks because they were veering.

So, “what it is” is not the same for everyone. Maybe it should be “it is what it is – for me”.

Here’s what dictionary.com says it means:
“Deal with it. It is what it is is an expression used to characterize a frustrating or challenging situation that a person believes cannot be changed and must just be accepted.”

And this is from grammarist.com – “While it can be seen as a lack of desire or motivation to change or improve circumstances, the hidden meaning behind this phrase is deep understanding and acceptance that some things are beyond our control.”

I agree that some things are beyond our control but I also believe there are things we just use this phrase for that can definitely be influenced by our actions.

Sigh…it’s just another one of those “things” to me.

Are there phrases that get under your skin? If so, list them below.