Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Username

nwolf202

Member Since

May 3, 2010

Total number of comments

1

Total number of votes received

10

Bio

Latest Comments

“It is what it is”

  • May 3, 2010, 1:35pm

I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with Black English Vernacular, especially "what it is?" which is just another way of saying what's happening, what's going on, what's up? And I think, Roger, you are tilting at windmills because the phrase is actually very useful when people are trying to read too much into a situation or trying to put some spin or nuance that they have created. So chill out on this particular saying because you're reading too much into it--it is what it is!

I also like Tony's definition (10 March 2010).