Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ and wondered what it meant? In this article, we’ll go over the definition and origin of the phrase and provide some examples of how to use the phrase correctly in a sentence.
In short:
Essentially, it means that you should keep whatever happened at a specific place to yourself or within the group of people who were there (or who also experienced whatever needs to be forgotten).
‘What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas’ is a common expression used in American English that’s used to ensure that certain secrets are kept within the confines of the group or the people involved. It’s used to let someone know that they shouldn’t blab any of your (or the group’s) secrets.
It might have to do with an event that occurred, such as a crazy night out drinking where someone did something embarrassing. Take the movie, The Hangover, for example.
They went to Vegas, and they ended up doing a bunch of stuff that they regretted (especially Stu, who lost a tooth and ended up engaged to a hooker). At the end of their crazy trip before the wedding, they all vowed:
“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas…Except for herpes. That shit’ll come back with you.”
In this case, it was literal because they were actually in Las Vegas. However, people use this phrase even when they’re not in Vegas to mean the same thing. It just means that whatever happens here stays here. Don’t tell anyone that wasn’t here with us.
There have also been modifications to the phrase. A song by Toby Keith that was released in 2004 song is called ‘Stays in Mexico,’ implying that whatever happens in Mexico stays in Mexico.
The phrase ‘What Happens in Vegas’ comes from the early 2000s when it was introduced to the public by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority because it was trying to revitalize the city’s image of adult freedom. The Week calls it one of the most effective campaigns in modern history, and it is.
The phrase is now part of pop culture, with books, movies, music, and TV shows mentioning the phrase like crazy over the last few decades.
The movie What Happens in Vegas, starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, is just one ounce of proof of that.
There are dozens of movies set in Las Vegas for this very reason, including movies like Casino, Last Vegas, Leaving Las Vegas, and 21. They all paint Las Vegas as a glamorous adult playground with limitless things to do to entertain yourself.
The phrase is also often shortened to ‘What Happens in Vegas’ because the whole phrase can be a mouthful to say.
How would you use ‘What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas’ in a sentence?
Let’s look at some examples:
What other words and phrases convey the same meaning as ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’?
Here are a few examples:
To recap, we learned the following:
Essentially, it means that you should keep whatever happened at a specific place to yourself or within the group of people who were there (or who also experienced whatever needs to be forgotten).
If you ever forget anything, you can always come back here and review what you learned. We’ve got a ton of other content in our Idioms library that you can check out anytime. Feel free to browse whenever.
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