The Mavens’ Word of the Day - same difference

The literal meaning is easy. The basic meanings of same, ‘identical to or agreeing with’, and difference, ‘unlikeness; dissimilarity’, are just what you’d expect. But when you use same difference together, you’re not comparing two things; you’re comparing the difference that exists between one pair of things to the difference that exists between one or more other pairs. You’re saying that those differences are analogous.
But the idiomatic use of same difference, which materialized in English in the mid-1940s, is the more interesting one. You can spot the idiom because it’s an interjection–it stands alone. Same difference is a kind of conventionalized, frozen response to what you regard as a petty, irrelevant correction or some niggling distinction. Your answer is a verbal shrug, a signal of your indifference or mild annoyance.
Same difference means ’same thing; no difference’. No one can say for sure how the expression arose, but very likely it was through a blending of those two phrases.

What are you lauging at?

The sitcom Friends, for instance, a show often dismissed by the cynical as “cheesy” or “schmaltzy” - and certainly capable of being both - was wholeheartedly adopted by the British public. So much so that two years after its final episode, a day barely passes without its inclusion in the schedules. Could it be any more ubiquitous?
I hated Friends when it first aired. The very title was anathema to me. It immediately evoked the embarrassing, droopy-eyed longings of the sickeningly hug-happy new American youth. The thought of all that togetherness, untempered by ironic undermining, made my skin crawl. Yet it drew me in. Due to a fine ensemble cast and some genuinely funny scriptwriting, Friends was readily accessible, even to us closed-off Brits. In fact, it arguably even opened us up a little. I certainly went from sneery to teary at Ross and Rachel’s passionate, reconciliatory smooch. This moment might actually hold the key to a middle ground between British and American humour, specifically when it comes to heartfelt, emotional expression. The British aren’t against it; we just believe it comes at a price. The success of the emotional climax in that particular scene is due entirely to the comedy preceding it. Ross’s perm, Monica’s fat suit, Rachel’s nose all go toward setting the tone for the payoff, which the audience wholeheartedly accept. The sentiment is a reward, rather than a device to engender a sympathy laugh or, worse, a big, soppy, “Awww”.