It sounds as if the speaker does not want to be involved in such areas of language.
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Thread: "I don't go there" meaning
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24-Jul-2017, 01:31 #1
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"I don't go there" meaning
Hi there!
Recently I overheard a conversation between two guys talking rather offhand. And when one said something I don't really understood (but I heard the word sh*t in it) the other one answered with "I don't go there". Whereupon both started laughing, to make it short. That was the first time I heard this idiom - if it is one.
Taking it literally I assume it means something like "I won't elaborate on this further" or "I won't describe that in detail". Which could make sense. However, I'm unsure, because that would slightly be to formal for that type of conversation...
Long story short, can anybody tell me the actual meaning of this phrase? Thanks in advance.
Kind regards!
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24-Jul-2017, 12:16 #2
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Re: "I don't go there" meaning
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26-Jul-2017, 12:07 #3
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Re: "I don't go there" meaning
"I don't go there" means "I don't talk about that" or "I avoid talking about that."
It's a casual American English cliche. It implies that talking about it would get the speaker in trouble or would cause unhappiness. It's usually meant humorously.I'm not a teacher. I speak American English. I've tutored writing at the University of Southern Maine and have done a good deal of copy editing and writing, occasionally for publication.
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26-Jul-2017, 19:41 #4
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Re: "I don't go there" meaning
Similar variants are "I/We won't go there" and "Let's not/Don't go there".
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27-Jul-2017, 04:29 #5
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Re: "I don't go there" meaning
In my opinion it means I refuse to involve myself in any of these incredibly convoluted and pointless disputes.
Last edited by emsr2d2; 27-Jul-2017 at 08:57. Reason: Fixing typos.(Rover) Removed religious/political comment which has nothing to do with the original post (emsr2d2)
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27-Jul-2017, 15:27 #6
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Re: "I don't go there" meaning
Originally Posted by angm
It generally means that the speaker does not want to do or does not care about whatever the other person was talking about.
The fact that they laughed afterward may be significant. Also the use of the word "sh*t" is significant in the meaning as well. This word can mean many many things depending on how it is used.
You have given us just a snippet of the conversation. A more complete version would be helpful.Experience is recognizing a mistake the second time you make it.
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02-Aug-2017, 04:06 #7
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Re: "I don't go there" meaning
"I don't go there" means that the speaker does not choose to involve him or herself in such trivial discussions.
Last edited by probus; 21-Dec-2017 at 06:27.
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02-Aug-2017, 12:52 #8
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Re: "I don't go there" meaning
I don't think triviality is involved. I don't go there can mean "I don't discuss such sensitive subjects."
I am not a teacher.
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07-Aug-2017, 01:57 #9
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Re: "I don't go there" meaning
I agree. Thank you for the correction. Originally Posted by GoesStation
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07-Aug-2017, 17:25 #10
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Re: "I don't go there" meaning
It doesn't have to relate to anything sensitive when used in other contexts.
Jane: How are the wedding preparations going?
Sarah: Don't go there!!!
Jane: Oh. That well, huh?
Sarah: Aaaargh, there is just so much still to do!Remember - if you don't use correct capitalisation, punctuation and spacing, anything you write will be incorrect.
