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What it is

by Nate Hamer January 15, 2003
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It is what it is

A cliche, popular within the circles of coaches, business execs, and those of us who just want to say "It's happened. 'I'm going to forget about it. I'm going to move on. There is nothing that can be done about it."

Voted by USA Today as the #1 cliche of 2004
"We showed up and gave 100%, and it is what it is."— NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson, after finishing second in the Nextel Cup championship. (AP, Nov. 22)

"Never in a million years did I think we would be 1-5 at this juncture, but it is what it is."— Mike Minter, safety for the NFL's Carolina Panthers, on his team's start this season. (AP, Oct. 24)

Is this a better game than before? That's what a lot of people are asking. Perhaps the more precise question should be: Is this what hockey is going to evolve into? And if so, will the fans, the players, the coaches, and the general managers embrace it as NHL hockey?
"It is what it is," said Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock. "It's a new game." (AP, Oct. 23)
by Ricky Roma November 3, 2005
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it is what it is

A quintessentially American East Coast colloquialism that is meant as a sort of passive acceptance of a situation that is not favorable but also cannot be changed (or at least not right away). It can be used in any context, although usually it refers to an illness, injury, stroke of bad luck financially, romantic trouble, etc. It should never be used as a means to an end in an actual intellectual comversation. Also known as: What will be will be. Suck it up. Deal with it.
"Landlord bumped my rent up... oh well, we don't have a lease agreement. Eh, it is what it is."

::after a long perios of obsessively analyzing what went wrong in a toxic relationship; finding oneself depressed and overwhelmed by the details of it all; an acceptance (these are usually prefaced by a weighted sigh):: "It is what it is."
by ERIC ROUNDABOUT November 21, 2015
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what it is

A Black solidarity greeting of the 1970's, expressing philosophic agreement as to the present, past and future state of the black history/culture/experience.
First Brother: "What it IS!"
Second Brother: "What it WAS!"
Both together: "What it SHALL BE"

Often accompanied by various secret handshakes and signs
by PJ Poppyjoe March 15, 2005
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What it is

whats up?
how u been?
what it do?
watz goin on?
Q.What it is, yo??

R.Chillen chillen what it is?
by marizzle fo shizzle May 23, 2006
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You know what it is

A song by T.I.

When someone recognizes, acknowledges and agrees with a statement somebody has made.
Guy 1: That was a sick touchdown.

Guy 2: You know what it is.
by BigThingsPopping October 17, 2008
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It is what it is

A popular “weasel phrase” used frequently by merger integration consultants, it refers to a negative situation that is outside of one’s sphere of influence and as such should not be further pursued in hopes of resolution. An approximate translation could be: “this is f*cked, but I can’t fix it, so why bother”.
"This company is rubbish. Their systems are stuffed, all their good staff are leaving, and just when the sh*t is hitting the fan, our manager goes off on holiday to Hawaii. But it is what it is, I guess...”
by Thirty dollar man August 13, 2011
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