Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 20:10:32 -0600

From: Dan Goodman dsg[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MAROON.TC.UMN.EDU

Subject: % Source of Quote: Been There ... Done That (fwd)



---------- Forwarded message ----------

Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 20:31:53 +0000 (GMT)

From: John Rickard jrr[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]atml.co.uk

To: stumpers stumpers-list[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CRF.CUIS.EDU

Subject: % Source of Quote: Been There ... Done That



Fred Shapiro fred.shapiro[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]yale.edu wrote:



We have a patron who is looking for the origins of this rather

too often used phrase. Does anyone claim to be the first person to have

said, "Been there ... done that.



The earliest citation I have for this phrase is from Sports Illustrated,

9 Feb. 1987: "Conner, as the Aussies say, has 'been there, done that.'"



I noticed in OED News (the on-line newsletter of the Oxford English

Dictionary) issue 3, January 1996, that "been there, done that" was

one of the words and phrases on their appeals list for earlier

citations; it seems that the earliest they had was 1991.



So they may be grateful if you send your Sports Illustrated quotation

to oed3[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]oup.co.uk. (If you think that the OED deserves unpaid help

from the public!)



These newsletters, which can be found at

http://www1.oup.co.uk/oup/ar/oed/newoed? , are excellent reading for

anyone with any interest in dictionaries.



--

John Rickard