Meaning of one of those things | Babel Free

Definitions

1. An unfortunate, but unavoidable, event.
   idiomatic, no-plural
2. A strange or surprising event for which an explanation is unavailable or not worth pursuing.
   idiomatic, no-plural

Examples

“It was just one of those things: I spent an hour in traffic and then found that the shop was closed.”

“My father was one of those persons who could add a column of figures - even of the ridiculous coinage then in use locally - with a flick of the eye, so that it was natural for him to have in mind that I should become an accountant. As a result, my inability to make any column of figures reach the same total twice caused me to be something of a mystery as well as a disappointment to him. Still, there it was: just one of those things.”

“The moral to this story is that the good research scientist pays strict attention to any peculiar event and does not shrug off a mystery as just "one of those things."”

CEFR level