been there, done that
Meaning: Said of an experience one already knows well, often with a shrug.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Night shifts with a newborn? Been there, done that.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: American slang from the 1980s, sometimes extended as "been there, done that, got the T-shirt."
Equivalents in other languages
- German: ein Liedchen singen können — literally: to be able to sing a little song
More idioms — Daily Life
- not get off the ground — To fail to make any progress at all.
- do nothing by halves — To commit fully to whatever one does.
- shut someone up — To force someone to stop talking.
- a pack of lies — A story that is entirely untrue.
- be pocket change — To be a trivial amount of money for the person paying.
- be a known quantity — To be someone whose character or ability is already understood.
More English idioms
- think outside the box — To find an unconventional solution.
- green with envy — Extremely jealous.
- keep someone on a short leash — To keep someone under close control.
- not for all the tea in China — Under no circumstances.
- rein someone in — To bring someone under control.
- keep one's feet on the ground — To stay realistic and unaffected by success.
From our proverbs
- When things get to the worst, they'll mend. — Despair blinds us to recovery; suffering naturally exhausts itself and reverses.
- The worst spoke in the cart-wheel breaks first. — Weakest components fail under strain, revealing themselves before stronger ones.
- Wounds may heal, but not those made by ill words. — Physical injuries fade while harsh speech leaves permanent emotional scars impossible to…