Etymology Journal · W
Why don't you cry about it?
Meaning
- A dismissive, cold response to someone who is complaining about a minor problem. It is intended to tell them their feelings are irrelevant and that they are being a baby.
Cold, insulting
Used in a sentence
- He complained about the coffee being too hot, and I told him, why don't you cry about it?
- I do not care if the schedule changed; why don't you cry about it?
- Stop bellyaching about the weather; why don't you cry about it?
The backstory
This is a standard American idiom for emotional invalidation. It cuts right to the chase, telling the person to stop wasting the speaker's time with their whining.
Heard in
Nationwide
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