был да сплыл

• БЫЛ ДА СПЛЫЛ coll

[VP; subj: any common noun (often omitted); past only; fixed WO]

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⇒ (a person or thing) was present somewhere, or (a thing) was in s.o.'s possession, but is no longer:

- (X) был да сплыл{{}}≈ X was here (s.o. did have X etc), but not anymore (any longer);

- X was here (s.o. did have X etc) but it's all gone now;

- here today, gone tomorrow;

- here one day (minute), gone the next;

- [in limited contexts] X came and went (has come and gone).

     ♦ [author's usage] Я встал и сказал: "Да ладно уж... Сказано - сделано. Сорею [бороду]. Считайте, что её уже нет. Была и сплыла" (Аксёнов 1). I stood up and said, "Well, okay then. ...No sooner said than done. I'll shave it [my beard] off. Think of it as already gone. Come and gone" (1a).

     ♦ "Так и молодость пройдёт, жизнь - она короткая". - "Была у меня молодость да сплыла", - потерянно вздохнула она (Максимов 1). [context transl] "And so your youth will slip by. Life is short!" "I was young once, but that's all past," she sighed distractedly... (1a).