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You had to be there 

"You had to be there" is a phrase that one often uses when someone asks about a situation/joke/piece of time.

Basically, it means that it's hard to actually explain what that situation was like and that the person who is asking had to be a part of the situation to understand.

TLDR; You should have been there
For example, when perhaps two of your friends have an inside joke without you, and you're curious as to what that inside joke means, and they tell you, "You had to be there" (meaning, you had to be around them at the time when the inside joke took place to truly understand it).

I guess you had to be there 

What you say when someone tells you something he thinks is hilarious but really isn't. You say this to avoid hurting your friend's feelings in breaking it to him that his joke sucks.
Dudeman 1: "Oh man, I was playing horseshoes in Red Dead Redemption and I got a really close throw and John was all like, 'Did you see that!' It was so funny dude!"

Dudeman 2: "I guess you had to be there."

Dudeman 1: :(

Guess you had to be there 

A response to a story told by someone else that is used to show that it might have been funny, but the way they tell it it doesn't sound funny at all.
Georges: "...and he was like "wait, we don't sell that here, nevermind!" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"
Geoff:(doesn't laugh) "Hmm, guess you had to be there."
well known from south park
rednecks get angrry that future folk took there jobs so they yell
They took ouare jerbs!
Them future folk took ouare jerbs!
jerb by Jimberley Kim April 7, 2005
Word of the Day on May 22, 2026
An Irish phrase meaning shit, derived from ass
(Not to be confused with the literal description of one's buttocks)
"Did you hear the song Aylek$ dropped?"
"Hardly. Her music is absolute cheeks."

"My boyfriend say LaFlame is cheeks."
"Tell your boyfriend I said it's his mixtape that's cheeks."
Cheeks by thecartisan April 26, 2020
Word of the Day on May 21, 2026

sans sheriff 

Lawless use of fonts or typography, with no regard to aesthetics or legibility
I'm putting this CV straight in the bin. Written totally sans sheriff.
sans sheriff by Jamarley July 3, 2019
Word of the Day on May 20, 2026