shoulda

An informal phrase used to dismiss someone's regrets or worries about a past experience. I wish I had given myself an extra day off before going back to work after my vacation, but coulda, woulda, shoulda. A: "Should I have said more during that presentation?" B: "Eh, coulda, woulda, shoulda. It's over now, so there's nothing more you can do."

I shouldn't have bothered. This remark came from prizefight manager Joe Jacobs, who in 1935 saw his first baseball game, the opening game of the World Series between the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs. It was a very cold day, and when asked what he thought of baseball, Jacobs replied, “I should have stood in bed.” The Cubs might have heeded that advice, because despite winning that opening game, they went on to lose the Series four games to two.