where it's at
Where things happen
Where it's at is the location of what matters—the center of action, importance, or excitement.
The phrase gained traction in 1960s counterculture as a way to describe someone who understood what was happening: He really knows where it's at.
It also points to the essential thing itself: Live music—that's where it's at.
The grammar is nonstandard but deliberate.
Point above seismic origin
- hotspotArea of notable activity
- focal pointCenter of interest
- nexusConnecting central point
- heartCirculatory system's pump
core · nerve center · mecca · ground zero · capital · headquarters · center · nucleus
Fashionable or pelvic joint
- coolCalm or fashionable
- happeningEvent in progress
- hotHaving much warmth
- inDenoting enclosure or inclusion
with-it · groovy · now · current · stylish · fashionable · cutting-edge · au courant
epicenter
Point above seismic origin
- hotspotArea of notable activity
- focal pointCenter of interest
- nexusConnecting central point
heart · core · nerve center · mecca · ground zero · capital · headquarters · center · nucleus · axis
hip
Fashionable or pelvic joint
in · with-it · groovy · now · current · stylish · fashionable · cutting-edge · au courant · fly
where it's atthe periphery
Outer edge area
nowhere · out of the loop · irrelevant · the sticks · beside the point
where it's atout of touch
Lacking current awareness
behind the times · passé · yesterday's news · square · unhip
where it's atdead
No longer alive
dull · boring · lifeless · the sticks · Nowheresville
where, its, itself, wherever, whereabouts, wherein, whereby, wherefore, somewhere