11 got a bit crotchety by the end of his run. Speaks well of both the writing and Matt Smith’s ability to portray an old man trapped in a young body.
The phrase “thought terminating cliche” is itself a thought terminating cliche.
You slap that label on a saying, and now you don’t have to think in order to figure out what it really means.
It can be a thought terminating cliche. Like most TTCs, it can be pointing at some true aspect of reality, and be used to not go deeper than that
Lets all agree to disagree
It is what it is, is a way to stop discussing alternate realities and start processing this one.
“If only the doctor had done X and then Cara would still have her left arm and …”
“It is what it is. Now it’s time to start looking at prosthetics and helping her cope with the loss”
