Thank you

Posted by Smokey Stover on February 05, 2004

In Reply to: Thank you posted by Miri Barak on February 04, 2004

: : : Dear friends
: : : can you give possible meaning for the expression:

: : : contectx: orderlies are turning over a patient with back problem
: : : "there we go"

: : : a mother says to a crying daughter after she wakes up from an anaesthesia
: : : "there you go"

: : : las: "oh my word, yes. it'll be the sweetest thing that ever happened to me" says a man waiting for an operation to relieve him from pain.
: : : and of couse the question is "oh my word"

: : : Thank you very much

: : "There you go" and "My word" aren't easy to explain. Neither of them makes sense if taken literally, but both are common.

: : "There you go" is informal. It's said by a person fulfilling another's request for something. A: "Pass the salt, please." B, handing salt: "There you go." The phrase connotes closure or satisfaction for the listener; for example, A, who wanted salt, now has it.

: : "There you go" may be descended historically from "There you are," which would also fit the salt-passing scene and is a little more formal.

: : It can also be used as a way of remarking that someone's desire for something intangible is or will be fulfilled. A: "I don't know how to dress for the costume party. The guests were told to come as somebody famous." B: "Well, who comes to mind?" A: "Oh, maybe Shakespeare." B: "THERE you go!" B means that Shakespeare meets the requirement; dressing as Shakespeare will do.

: : Orderlies turning over a patient might say "we" in line with the practice of medical personnel who use "we" instead of "you" when addressing a patient, or their "we" might refer to their group. In the latter case, they'd be noting that the group has successfully completed its task.

: : There's another "There you go," not to be confused with the one you asked about. A: "Can you make a phone call for me?" B, who is angry: "There you go" (or "There you go again"), "expecting me to do you a favor."

: : "Oh, my word" is equivalent to "Oh, my goodness." It's like swearing, but much milder.

: Thank you Berg
: I think I've got the feeling of it.

I can't improve on R. Berg's explication. Some expressions are just hard to explain. A very popular TV series, "McCloud," featured Dennis Weaver (famed as Chester in "Gunsmoke") as Marshal Sam McCloud, a New Mexico peace officer transferred to a unit of the New York City Police to learn big-citiy methods. (Naturally he chases down a lot of criminals on his horse.) He often responds to some comment by Chief Clifford by drawling "There ya go!" Finally Chief Clifford asks, "McCloud, just what does 'There you go' actually mean?" But he gets no answer, of course. SS