YLSNE 82

I was chatting with a friend on the phone this evening while waiting for the train (yes, I was THAT person) and in response to something he was telling me I said, "It'll all come out in the wash." And I had no idea what that meant and if it was at all an appropriate response. Nor did he.

I tried to sort it out on my own during the train ride, but to no avail. So, of course Googled it when I got home. I learned that that was exactly the response I wanted to give in that exact moment. Obviously, somewhere in my subconscious I knew that was right, even though I couldn't say why at the time. The phrase means that things will work out and there's no point in worrying about it. The phrase originally appeared in Don Quixote and refers to the ability of washing to restore things to their real or original state. In other words, things might be a mess now, but it will be fine when it's all sorted out.