get over and done with or finish

[ostap77]

'"He said that we are going to go home after we get this job over and done with"

OR

"He said that we are going to go home once we finish this job."

 

[ostap77]

Either one.

''Get over and done with'' and "finish "are equally common?

 

[emsr2d2]

''Get over and done with'' and "finish "are equally common?

They're equally common but "to get something over and done with" frequently has a negative connotation.

I hate housework. I just want to get it over and done with.
My kids hate doing their homework, so when they get home, I tell them to start straight away. That way, it'll be over and done with quickly.
I have to have an injection later. I hope the doctor gets it over and done with fast because I don't like needles.

 

[ostap77]

It probably depends on a number of things - the area you live in, your age, your education, and who you are speaking to. I usually associate, "Get it over and done with", with lower middle or middle class speakers.

So it has nothing to do with a negative connotation?

 

[ostap77]

Not as written. Any negative association would have to be added ahead or behind the term.

So I guess pretty much it has to do with the regional thing?

What do you say in California?

 

[Koronas]

I can't agree with teacher. It's a very common expression in the UK. Even government ministers might use it, so it has no class association there. It always has a negative connotation.

The explanation by emsr2d2 is good, in my opinion.

 

[ostap77]

I can't agree with teacher. It's a very common expression in the UK. Even government ministers might use it, so it has no class association there. It always has a negative connotation.

The explanation by emsr2d2 is good, in my opinion.

It has to do with my first post.

 

[emsr2d2]

It has to do with my first post.

Even with your first post, I would read "...we are going to go home after we get this job over and done with" as suggesting a sense of relief, that you'll be glad to finish the job, which (to me) is more negative than positive as far as the job is concerned.

If you say "I'm going home when I finish this job" that is just a statement of fact. If you say "I'm going home when I get this job over and done with", I would understand that to mean that you're finding the job at least a little tedious and you will be happy when it's finished.

Perhaps it's just how a phrase has been used in one person's experience. In my experience, during my childhood, it was always used in relation to something that you really wanted to be over. That may not be the case for everyone, which explains the differences in our opinions of the phrase.

We have another phrase for finishing something - "it's all done and dusted". That, to me, has neither positive nor negative connotations.

Have you finished your homework? Yes, it's all done and dusted.
How are you getting on with decorating your house? Oh, it's done and dusted. We finished last week.

 

[ostap77]

Even with your first post, I would read "...we are going to go home after we get this job over and done with" as suggesting a sense of relief, that you'll be glad to finish the job, which (to me) is more negative than positive as far as the job is concerned.

If you say "I'm going home when I finish this job" that is just a statement of fact. If you say "I'm going home when I get this job over and done with", I would understand that to mean that you're finding the job at least a little tedious and you will be happy when it's finished.

Perhaps it's just how a phrase has been used in one person's experience. In my experience, during my childhood, it was always used in relation to something that you really wanted to be over. That may not be the case for everyone, which explains the differences in our opinions of the phrase.

We have another phrase for finishing something - "it's all done and dusted". That, to me, has neither positive nor negative connotations.

Have you finished your homework? Yes, it's all done and dusted.
How are you getting on with decorating your house? Oh, it's done and dusted. We finished last week.

Thanks.

 

[emsr2d2]

It might be a British thing if what you say is true. I understand it as wanting to complete a task - good or bad has little to do with it. For example, "Let's wash the buses and get it over and done with", is merely a statment of what has to be done. The buses have to be washed, the workers are being paid for doing that job - where is the negative here?

Perhaps it is a British thing then, because if I heard "Let's wash the buses and get it over and done with" I would assume that it was an arduous task, not being done particularly happily and they couldn't wait to get it finished!

 

[ostap77]

It might be a British thing if what you say is true. I understand it as wanting to complete a task - good or bad has little to do with it. For example, "Let's wash the buses and get it over and done with", is merely a statment of what has to be done. The buses have to be washed, the workers are being paid for doing that job - where is the negative here?

That's what I've been trying to figure out throughout my previous posts.
For me as a non native speaker It seems that it's just a difference between BE and AmE. Am I right?

 

[Koronas]

There must be a difference between UK and AM, in that case. In UK English the connotation is that of an unpalatable task that has to be completed. At least that's how I see it.

Of course the problem is that the UK has many different dialects and the meaning of such phrases may vary across the country.

 

[ostap77]

There must be a difference between UK and AM, in that case. In UK English the connotation is that of an unpalatable task that has to be completed. At least that's how I see it.

Of course the problem is that the UK has many different dialects and the meaning of such phrases may vary across the country.

Thanks mate;-)!

 

[riquecohen]

There must be a difference between UK and AM, in that case. In UK English the connotation is that of an unpalatable task that has to be completed. At least that's how I see it.

Of course the problem is that the UK has many different dialects and the meaning of such phrases may vary across the country.[/QUOTE

I think that your comment on variations applies to the US as well as the UK. As an east coast AmE-speaker, my interpretation is the same as that of emsr2d2.