been there, done that

I’ve had this experience and I’m bored with it. The implication of this relatively new and seemingly worldweary statement is, why bother to repeat something I’ve seen or done. However, it is also used as an expression of empathy, as in “You’ve offered to take care of the children for a week? Been there, done that.” The phrase dates only from the early 1980s and at first referred to tourism and sightseeing, but soon was extended to just about any activity. Moreover, it became overused so quickly that it became a cliché virtually in a decade and a half. Also see SEEN ONE, SEEN THEM ALL.