expressions - "Sometimes a * is just a *" meaning and history


What kind of expression is it when someone says "Sometimes a horse is just a horse" or "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" (Which apparently Freud never actually said)?


What is the history of this expression, and are there any alternative phrases that convey the same or similar meaning?



Answer



With tautophrases, it is what it is.



A tautophrase is a phrase or sentence that repeats an idea in the same words. (Wikipedia)



"What's done is done." (Shakespeare's Macbeth)


The name was coined by William Safire in The New York Times.


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