[Ads-l] "act like you've been someplace before"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Hello Martin. Interesting thread. The wonderful reference DMP has a
pertinent entry.

Book: The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs (2012)
Compiled by Charles Clay Doyle, Wolfgang Mieder, and Fred R. Shapiro,
Quote Page 2
Publisher: Yale University Press, New Haven

[Begin excerpt]
Act like you’ve been there before.

1984 Spokesman-Review [Spokane WA] 2 Feb.: "On a player who spikes the
ball after a touchdown [ football referee Jim Tunney says]: 'I don't
like them either. I always tell the player, act like you’ve been there
before.'"

1986 New York Times 7 Dec.: "'But I never spiked the ball in college,'
he [football player Stacy Robinson] said, because my coach, Dan
Morton, used to tell us, 'Act like you’ve been there before.'"
[End excerpt]

In 1964 there was a match (I think) for the guidance offered by your
friend. An uncomfortable journalist who was visiting a new location
used the following phrase as an internal self-help mantra: "Act like
you've been here all your life."

Date: December 31, 1964
Newspaper: Press-Telegram
Newspaper Location: Long Beach, California
Article: Sports Merry-Go-Round
Author:  Hank Hollingworth (Executive Sports Editor)
Quote Page C1, Column 1
Database: Newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/article/press-telegram-before/201775250/

[Begin excerpt]
The afternoon was delightful ... until one went into the ice skating
palace--the place called Olympic Ice Arena in Torrance.

The stranger initially thought he was a real outsider, one who doesn't
belong in such places. Immediately upon closing the door, the ice
started gathering around the bald spots and other parts of the
stranger's framework.

Only one thought persisted: Put up with it, man. After all, you're a
newspaperman, one used to adverse conditions.

Gritting the teeth, the stranger took a deep breath and told himself,
"Buddy, show a little class. Act like you've been here all your life."

Which wasn't true, of course. But the stranger braced his shoulders
and forced himself to venture further. Five feet inside the door the
stranger became embarrassed. Yards away from him were a million kids,
some even above the age of six, who were frolicking about the rink as
though they were born there
[End excerpt]

Garson O'Toole

On Thu, Jul 16, 2026 at 3:23 PM Martin Schneider
<000024dc089a88e9-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> This is my first thread so I hope I'm doing this right. (The first effort
> already foundered but I think I have fixed the issue.)
>
> A friend is fond of the trope "Act like you've been someplace before," this
> is basically his main rule in life, try not to get caught out looking like
> a rube and so forth. It's a good life rule, for sure.
>
> The question is, where does it come from? I have a strong hunch that it
> comes from sports, specifically football. In the 1970s or so it became more
> common for (usually African-American, or at least so goes the narrative)
> athletes to engage in flamboyant post-score celebrations. The "high five"
> was invented around this time, as was the general spectacle (no reproach)
> of spiking the ball in the end zone or even doing a little dance.
>
> I think there evolved a backlash to this, because anything interesting that
> African-American people do requires a protest or backlash in this country,
> right? So the trope might have run "Stan Musial / Johnny Unitas / [insert
> favored tight-lipped white athlete of yore here] didn't feel the need to do
> a dance every time they did something......" grumble, grumble, let's ban
> fun. Act like you've been someplace before.
>
> But who knows, maybe it comes from the military. Maybe it comes from the
> world of commerce and board rooms! Anybody know?
>
> I'd appreciate seeing the fruits of your researches.
>
> Thanks,
> Martin
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org