who knows

誰知道？

rhetorical question: anything is possible

It could be one or the other, or both. Who knows?

Do you think I'll get married before I turn 30? – Who knows, you might never marry.

rhetorical question
rhetorical question#English

A rhetorical question asked to show that the person asking it neither knows the answer nor knows who might.


what's up

Made popular by the cartoon character Bugs Bunny as part of his catch phrase “What’s up Doc?”, as early as 1940. Originally a common greeting from Bugs Bunny creator Tex Avery's neighborhood in Taylor, Texas.

Hey, what's up? – Hey! Good to see you.

(rhetorical question, colloquial) A casual greeting with a meaning similar to hi or nice to meet you.


what the fuck

What the fuck were you thinking? What the fuck was I thinking? What the fuck are you doing?

What the fuck is going on? What the fuck just happened? What the fuck is wrong with you?

(interrogative, vulgar, slang) An intensive form of what.

What the fuck are you doing? — Τι στο διάολο κάνεις

一体全体なんだ？

いったいぜんたいなんだ？


what the fuck

→ Chinese: 花惹發／花惹发 (huārěfā)

→ Dutch: wat de fok

→ French: ouate de phoque

The proof is on my computer. It’s on all these people’s computers, and everyone around here is just going along with that. What the fuck? [quoting Emilia Jones as Reality Winner in the film Winner]

2024 September 11, Richard Brody, ““Winner” Takes Political Comedy Seriously”, in The New Yorker:

(vulgar) Used to express astonishment, shock, incredulity, or disbelief (as an ellipsis of longer expressions).

一体全体なんだ？

いったいぜんたいなんだ？

I finally said “eh, what the fuck” and quit my job.

Every now and then say, "What the fuck." "What the fuck" gives you freedom. Freedom brings opportunity. Opportunity makes your future.

1983, Risky Business, spoken by Miles (Curtis Armstrong):

(vulgar) Used to express nonchalance or the dismissal of any consequences of something one is about to do.


is the Pope Catholic

Would you like to go to the beach? ― Is the Pope Catholic?

(colloquial, rhetorical question) A rhetorical question in response to a question to which the answer is an emphatic yes.


what's the good of

You can't do anything about it, so what's the good of crying?

(idiomatic) What is the purpose or advantage of


what do you know

Near-synonym: who would have thunk it

Well, what do you know, it's raining again.

(colloquial, set phrase, rhetorical question, often sarcastic) What a surprise; guess what.


you and whose army

–I’m going to stop you from going out with that girl! —Yeah? You and whose army?

Come on, come on / You think you'll drive me crazy? / Well, come on, come on / You and whose army? / You and your cronies

2001, “You and whose army?”, in Amnesiac, performed by Radiohead:

(rhetorical question, sarcastic) Used in response to someone’s threat suggesting that the person in question cannot do what they say alone.

やれるものならやってみろ (yareru mono nara yatte miro, literally “If you can do that, try to do it!”)


where's the beef

From a catchphrase in a 1980s television commercial for the fast food chain Wendy's.

(US, idiomatic) Where is the content? So what?


how do you like them apples

Our governor has just vetoed a bill that would offer more money to our schools. How do you like them apples?

(colloquial, rhetorical question) Question directed jestingly or mockingly at someone who has received surprising information, ridiculing or making light of the situation.

"I can't give you a raise now; if I did, this whole company would go bankrupt, and you wouldn't have a job at all. Now how do you like them apples?"

(colloquial, rhetorical question, Ireland, US) Used after an actual or proposed action with which the listener might be displeased, and also used after refuting an argument.


who ate all the pies

Who ate all the pies? Who ate all the pies? You fat bastard, you fat bastard, you ate all the pies. Loser!

(British, soccer, colloquial, derogatory, rhetorical question) Used pejoratively against a fat person.


what the heck

So there, I know, was somebody or a combination of somebodys who did not know what the heck they were doing or dealing with.

1974, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Agriculture, Agriculture and the Fuel Crisis: Hearings..., page 88:

- Eggman: What else? I shall take Gizoid back and fulfill my plans to take over the world! Once I have Gizoid acquire my ultimate weapon, "Final Egg Blaster,"… I’ll be able to use it as my final weapon of destruction!!
- Knuckles: What the heck is the "Final Egg Blaster"?!

2003, Sonic Team, Sonic Battle, Sega, published 2003, Game Boy Advance, level/area: Knuckles’ Story:


what the hell

Shortened from earlier what in the hell.

It’s expensive, but what the hell, you only live once.

Surprisingly, dieters ate more ice cream after eating a large milkshake than after eating a small one. Dr. Polivy calls this the “What the hell” effect, which she describes as thinking “What the hell, my diet’s already broken, so I might as well eat everything in sight.”

i have had my ups and downs / but wotthehell wotthehell / yesterday sceptres and crowns / fried oysters and velvet gowns / and today i herd with bums / but wotthehell wotthehell

1927, Don Marquis, “song of mehitabel”, in archy and mehitabel:

(mildly vulgar, slang) Indicating acceptance, indulgence, or insouciance: Why not? Who cares?


but who's counting

There are only 258 more shopping days until Christmas, but who's counting?

You've made that mistake eight times now. But who's counting?

I've been looking for a job for six months now, but who's counting?

(colloquial, rhetorical question, sarcastic, humorous) Used as a retort or comeback, often to deprecate oneself or another for excessive concern or attention to detail.


wouldn't you know it

Wouldn't you know it! I left my wallet at home.

(informal) Expresses dismay or annoyance, especially at misfortune.


what of it

Yes, I ate the last cookie. What of it?

"Hiram took my snowballs."
"Aw, what of it, kid?" sneered the bully. "There's lots more snow. Make yourself another set and see what you can do."

1912, Stratemeyer Syndicate, chapter 1, in Baseball Joe on the School Nine:

(idiomatic) So what? Who cares? Expresses disinterest, disregard or lack of concern.


how do you do

"How do you do?" began Pollyanna politely. "I'm from Miss Polly Harrington, and I'd like to see Mrs. Snow, please."

1913, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 8, in Pollyanna, L.C. Page, →OCLC:

pleased to meet you
pleased to meet you#English

nice to meet you
nice to meet you#English

(formal) A greeting used upon being introduced to someone. Alternatives are how are you, pleased to meet you, and nice to meet you. (Sometimes used as a rhetorical question among familiar parties, depending on the region).

始めてお目にかかります

はじめておめにかかります


why not

Why not try turning the handle in the other direction to see if that opens the window?

(rhetorical) Used to introduce a proposal.


are your ears burning

Are your ears burning? We were just talking about you.

(idiomatic, colloquial, rhetorical question) Asked of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion.

no et xiulaven les orelles?

asked of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion

호랑이도 제말하면 온다

the tiger comes after the speech about him


so what

I lost my red shoes. – So what? Get a new pair.

(colloquial, rhetorical question, impolite) A reply to an unimportant or irrelevant statement, indicating indifference on the part of the speaker.


who writes this stuff

(ironic) A rhetorical question commenting on the writing of a book, play, movie, etc.


does a bear shit in the woods

First attested in print in the 1960s (see Citations). Earlier attested variations include Does the little brown bear live in the woods? (1952), and Does a bear like the woods? (1959)

(colloquial, rhetorical question, mildly vulgar) A rhetorical question in response to a question to which the answer is an emphatic yes.

schijt een beer in het bos?

emphatic yes by way of an idiomatic, rhetorical question

does the Pope shit in the woods?

A combination of is the Pope Catholic? and does a bear shit in the woods?


who cares

(colloquial, rhetorical question) A reply to an unimportant or irrelevant statement, indicating indifference on the part of the speaker.

"I'll never speak to you again as long as I live," said Joe, rising. "There now!" And he moved moodily away and began to dress himself.
"Who cares!" said Tom. "Nobody wants you to. Go 'long home and get laughed at. Oh, you're a nice pirate. Huck and me ain't crybabies. We'll stay, won't we, Huck? Let him go if he wants to. I reckon we can get along without him, per'aps."

1876, Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Part 4:

"But it's ever so much longer, and we're so late," grumbled Duncan.
"Who cares?" cried Elsie, stolidly. "I'm a girl and I'm not going to climb up the hill in this heat."
Duncan stared again. He had never heard Elsie complain of the hill before. Usually they scampered up it, and rolled down the steepest side—not, truly, when there was milk to carry, but at other times. And now Elsie was walking along in a languid, mincing fashion, as if she had no more fun in her than Robbie himself, and had never scampered bare-foot over the moor six days out of every week, no matter what the weather might be.
"There's Robbie at the garden gate beckoning us. I expect mother's very angry," cried Duncan, despairingly.
"Who cares? let him beckon," Elsie replied, with the most provoking indifference. "Run on by yourself if you're afraid."

1884 July, author not named, “A Little Too Clever”, in Little Folks: A Magazine for the Young:

c.1888, George Manville Fenn, Dick o' the Fens: A Tale of the Great Eastern Swamp,
"No, but it's not nice all the same to live in a place where lots of people were murdered."
"Tchah! who cares! I don't. It's a capital old place, and you never dig anywhere without finding something."
"Yes," said Tom solemnly, "something that isn't always nice."

"Well," said Peter Piper, "we have been called Meg and Peg and Kilmanskeg and Gustibus and Peter Piper instead of our grand names, and now we live in a place called Racketty-Packetty House. Who cares! Let's join hands and have a dance."

1906, Frances H. Burnett, Racketty-Packetty House:

It makes no difference if you fall on the whirl. Who cares? And when you are through dancing you can go out to the faucet and get yourself a drink—provided the water hasn't been turned off.

1922, Robert Benchley, Love Conquers All:

Freddy Farmer added two one-dollar bills to the hockey tickets and walked away. The two soldiers gaped down at the two tickets and the two dollars.
"What's the matter with that guy; is he touched?" one of them mumbled. "And did you hear him, Fuzzy? He didn't even speak English!"
"Who cares?" Fuzzy asked as he came out of his trance. "Two four-buck-forty hockey tickets, and two bucks in cash! Who cares if the guy is touched? He's okay by me!"

1944, Robert Sydney Bowen, Dave Dawson at Casablanca:

(colloquial, rhetorical question) A reply that dismisses the importance of another speaker's immediately preceding statement.


what do you want, a cookie

"I was straight to the point - "Laurie, I'm gay." "Bernard, I've known that for a long time. So, what do you want, a cookie? Now deal the cards!"

1994, R. Jeffrey Ringer, Queer Words, Queer Images: Communication and Construction of Homosexuality, →ISBN, page 230:

DOLL. Buzzet attacked me last night. I have scars! Look at my arm! And my hair is flat too!
SPIDER. What do you want a cookie?

2001, Mary Rogers, Drop Your Webbings! (from Class Acts: High School Plays by High School Writers →ISBN by Randy Lee Hartwig), p.30

"I wait for ju, five minute," He says. "Well what do you want, a cookie" I tell him and he looks at me like he does not understand."

2004, James H. Taylor, Curiosity Killed the Chelsea Boy, →ISBN, page 153:

"The way I see it, I'm already doing all the work, and I'm doing the spells and incantations," stated Bowolf. "So what do you want, a cookie?" laughed Prolok.

2006, Antonio Garza, The House with the Magic Cellar: Realm: I, →ISBN, page 103:

(rhetorical question, sarcastic) A retort to someone who has done something unsurprising or unimpressive and has deemed it necessary to mention it.


what do I know

Maybe girl grasshoppers find long legs attractive in boy grasshoppers, but what do I know?

(rhetorical question) Implies that a statement is based on a guess or assumption rather than on knowledge or evidence.


who's your daddy

I got fisted one time [by] a very short lesbian. [mimes] "Who's your daddy?" "...Eileen?" "That's right, bitch!"

A humorous or sarcastic statement of (often sexual) superiority over someone else.

(BDSM) An assertion that one is the dominant in a relationship or situation.


how about that

(rhetorical question) A general statement of surprise or bemusement with regard to a particular event.; isn't that good, or unexpected, etc.


what am I, chopped liver

You've been nice enough, but what am I, chopped liver or something?

1949, Joey Adams, The Curtain Never Falls, New York, N.Y.: F. Fell, →OCLC, page 175:

A rhetorical question used to indicate that the speaker is feeling left out or slighted by attention given to another person or persons.


since when

Since when do I need your permission?

“[…] We are engaged in a great work, a treatise on our river fortifications, perhaps ? But since when did army officers afford the luxury of amanuenses in this simple republic ? Does your Vehmgerichte pay such extraordinary expenses ?[…]”

1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

(colloquial, rhetorical question, sarcastic) From what time.

The moon is made of green cheese. Since when?

(colloquial, rhetorical question, sarcastic) (as an interrogative interjection) Used to indicate doubt as to the veracity of a statement.


is it just me

I was wondering, is it just me, or do you sometimes find it really hard to be a mom?

2013, Faith Bogdan, Who Are All These Children and Why Are They Calling Me Mom?:

(colloquial, rhetorical question) Am I the only one who thinks this?


what would Jesus do

(religion, Christianity, chiefly evangelicalism) Expression intended to help a person facing a choice with moral, ethical or religious implications.


who's a pretty boy then

A conventional phrase used when talking to parrots.


how can you sleep at night

A rhetorical question, used to tell someone that they should feel guilty about something.


I know you are but what am I

Uncertain, but dates back at least to the June 15th, 1957 issue of The New Yorker (Vol. 33 No. 17, page 23). In "The Talk of the Town", which was a collaborative effort by the magazine's staff writers: "INTERROGATIVE WISP FOUND IN GUTTER OF MACDOUGAL STREET: 'I know you are but what am I?'" The phrase is often attributed to Pee-Wee Herman.

I know you are but what am I? Jeannie would say out loud, whenever I mouthed a name at her.

At this point Johnny changes tactics and hollers, "I know you are, but what am I?" and the voice echoes, "I know you are, but what am I?"

2003, Mark E. Jones, Echoes of Heaven, page 7:

So when Mr. Macchia states that people who collect state quarters are fools, my son says I should reply, "I know you are, but what am I?"

2005, American Numismatic Association, The Numismatist, page 14:

(rhetorical question, colloquial, childish) Assertion that an insult made by the party to whom the phrase is directed is actually true of that party, and not of the person using the phrase. Usually considered to be a playground taunt.

assertion that an insult made by the party to whom the phrase is directed is actually true of that party

kdo to říká ten to je, tomu se to rýmuje


who's 'she', the cat's mother

Who's 'she' (canonical)
the cat's mother (canonical)

"She's coming on the trip with us too!"

"Who's 'she', the cat's mother?"

Sorry, Gran is coming with us too.

(idiomatic, somewhat dated, British, Ireland, New England) A rebuke especially directed towards children for having referred to a woman as "she", instead of using her name or an appropriately respectful title.


what the

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-what the.wav

From various expressions such as what the sam hill, what the hey, what the heck, what the hell and what the fuck by aposiopesis.

Hee haw! Did that come out of me? Oh! Huh? What the …? What's going on? Ahhh!

1940, as realization dawns that he is turning into a donkey, in Pinocchio (motion-picture), spoken by Lampwick (Frankie Darrow), Burbank: Disney; distributed by RKO Radio Pictures:

(by ellipsis) Used to express astonishment or incredulity, as a question or questioning of the situation at hand, without requiring any specific vulgarity as intensifier.


what's it to you

"I saw you in the chemist yesterday, what did you buy?" / "What's it to you?"

(defensively) Why are you asking? Why do you want to know?.

¿quién te ha dado vela en este entierro?


you know what

Well, you know what, he's got a cloud over him. You have to live with who you are and make your peace with your maker about what you really are.

2001 May 10, "Blake's Attorney on Bakley's Murder", CNN Live (transcript)

Well, I guess I’ve got to say, I love the Madonna one that we did — the Drowned world tour. Actually, you know what? The first Blonde Ambition tour I loved. The “Vogue” thing — that was a memorable moment in my lifetime.

2009 March 23, Alex Hawgood, “The Three-Ring Circus”, in New York Times:

(idiomatic) Used, often as a question, to get someone's attention before announcing something.


am I right or am I right

And next to Rosa is Mont Charre, which is great, but just a hair less great than Rosa, am I right or am I right?

1974, William Goldman, Marathon Man, Delacorte Press:

There are songs to sing, there are feelings to feel, there are thoughts to think. That makes three things, and you can't do three things at the same time. The singing is easy, syrup in my mouth, and the thinking comes with the tune, so that leaves only the feelings. Am I right, or am I right? I can sing the singing. I can think the thinking. But you're not going to catch me feeling the feeling. No, sir.

What I love about this country is that: its genius. Greatest inventors in the world. It's beautiful: am I right or am I right?

1988, Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses:

Do you have life insurance, Phil? Because if you do, you could always use a little more, right? I mean, who couldn't? But you wanna know something? I got the feeling ... [whistles] ... you ain't got any. Am I right or am I right? Or am I right? Am I right?

You take your ileum as Wallace Stevens/and you take my ileum/as Gordon Lish,/am I right or am I right?

1999, Gordon Lish, "Aubade", Salmagundi, No. 121/122 (Winter-Spring 1999), p. 201

Customerize the company! Am I right or am I right? For forty years or thereabouts, marketers have worshipped at the feet of the customer.

2004, Stephen Brown, Free Gift Inside!!: Forget the Customer. Develop Marketease, page 7:

(colloquial, rhetorical question) Alternative form of am I right, implying the speaker can't possibly be wrong.


what did your last slave die of

En-au-what did your last slave die of.ogg

The manager just couldn't get Lorcan to understand that if someone asked for a second cup of coffee, the correct response was 'Certainly, sir, coming right up,' and not 'What did your last slave die of?'

She's trying to meet my every need, waiting on me in ways that would make my mum bleat, 'What did your last slave die of?'

2010, Luisa Plaja, Swapped by a Kiss, page 102:

(idiomatic, humorous) Used to indicate that someone is being unreasonably bossy and demanding.


does Macy's tell Gimbel's

Macy's and Gimbels (without the apostrophe) were popular department stores located within two blocks of one another in Midtown Manhattan in New York City; the latter store is now defunct.

The "Does Macy's tell Gimbel's?" gag has been a standard one in New York for many years. It was somewhat shattered last night at the Copacabana, when two young couples were seated at a ringside table and conversed at great length...."Well, Macy's may not tell Gimbel's," said one of the young men, "But Bloomingdale's does."

1941 January 21, The Washington Post, page 22:

In other words the older circuit will give the Johnny-come-lately as little help and comfort as it can. After all, does Macy's tell Gimbel's?

1946 January 11, The New York Times, page 24:

...As a lesson in merchandising, not only store products, but good-will, this "Miracle on 34th Street" is a dandy. Does Macy's tell Gimbel's? It should!

1947 June 5, The New York Times, page 32:

Col. Hogan (to Col. Klink) Does Macy tell Gimbel?

(US, dated, colloquial, rhetorical question) A rhetorical question with the implied answer being that competitors do not share business secrets with one another.


what are you like

(UK, Ireland, colloquial, US, obsolete) Expressing mock despair at somebody's outrageous behaviour.


what else is new

My mum is still giving me grief for not getting a job. ― What else is new?

(rhetorical question) A rhetorical request for some real news, on hearing a report that was not news because it represents a continuing predictable and unsatisfactory situation.


what's new

onko mitään uutta

implies that the situation is and always has been unsatisfactory

You're still having problems with that idiot you employed last year? So, what's new?

(rhetorical question, idiomatic) A rhetorical request for some real news, on hearing a report that was not news because it represents a continuing predictable and unsatisfactory situation.


you and what army

you and whose army
you and whose army#English

(US) Alternative form of you and whose army


what's with

What's with Jim lately? He always has a frown on his face.

(colloquial, sometimes rhetorical question) What is wrong with.

What's with all the presents? Are you having a birthday party?

(colloquial, sometimes rhetorical question) What is the reason for.


how long is a piece of string

How long is a piece of string (canonical)

(colloquial, often humorous, rhetorical question) Used as a response to a question such as "How long will it take?" or "How big is it?" when the length or size is unknown, infinite, variable, or relative.


what can I say

Near-synonym: what can you do

(idiomatic) Indicating that nothing that could be said would add to or improve the situation.

شو بدي أحكيلك لأحكيلك؟

indicating that there is nothing to be said which would improve matters


head

En-us-what does that have to do with the price of tea in China.oga

A: "I read that aliens built the Egyptian pyramids." – B: "What medications are you taking?" – A: "What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?"

My reaction is "What does this have to do with the price of tea in China?"

1972, American School Counselor Association, The School counselor, volume 20, page 7:

To quote the old saying, "what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?" Talk about totally irrelevant.

2000, United States Senate, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Agricultural trade options: hearing before the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, →ISBN, page 103:

(rhetorical question, colloquial) Used to indicate that a previous comment is irrelevant or non sequitur.

八竿子打不著

a comment used to indicate that a previous comment is irrelevant or unimportant

τρία πουλάκια κάθονταν και πλέκανε πουλόβερ (tría poulákia káthontan kai plékane poulóver, literally “three little birds were sitting, knitting sweaters”)

в огоро́де — бузина́, а в Ки́еве — дя́дька (v ogoróde — buziná, a v Kíjeve — djádʹka, literally “there's elderberry in the vegetable garden but an uncle in Kiev”)

qué tienen que ver los cojones con comer trigo

what does that have to do with the price of corn

what does that have to do with the price of fish


who are you and what have you done with (someone)?

who are you and what have you done with (canonical)

who are you and what have you done with someone

Who are you and what have you done with the "real" editors of The Roanoke Times?

2000 May 15, “Letters to the editor”, in Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia:

One thing she has noticed over the years, Dorothea says, is that "he's developed more of a sense of humor. Now, when he'll crack a joke, I'll say, Oh, my God, who are you and what have you done with my husband?"'

2002 November, Tom Gliatto, “Local boy makes good”, in People, volume 58, number 22, page 114:

"Who are you and what have you done with Izzy Zanella?" she finally said. / "Go on," he said. "Mock me. The one time I'm being serious and trying to do the right thing."

2009, Suzanne Brockmann, Into the Fire, page 49:

(colloquial, rhetorical question) Said to express surprise due to a perceived drastic change of behaviour of a person.

Expression to drastic change of a person

wie is jy en wat het jy met iemand gedoen.

Wer sind Sie und was haben Sie mit jemandem gemacht

vem är du och vad har du gjort med någon


you kiss your mother with that mouth

(do) you kiss your mother with that mouth?

No wonder then that I felt compelled when coming upon Tony and John's contest-in-insults to glare and say, "Hey, you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

1983, Reinhold Aman, Maledicta, Volume 6, Issues 1-2, Maledicta Press, page #209

"Chris doesn't like my hair up. I don't like my hair up. I'm not wearing my fucking hair up." ― "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

1998, Anna Quindlen, Black and Blue, Wheeler Pub., page #153

Serena, always the charmer. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

2004, Tim McCleaf, For They Know Not What They Do: Two Novellas, iUniverse, page 64:

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" mocked the man-who-was-ten. Matthew replied, "No, but I kiss yours!"

2009, Ryan Russell, Johnny Long, Timothy Mullen, Stealing the Network: The Complete Series Collector's Edition, Final Chapter, and DVD: The Complete Series, Syngress, page 469:

you kiss your girlfriend with that mouth

you kiss your grandmother with that mouth

you kiss your grandfather with that mouth

(rhetorical question, informal, sarcastic) Used to indicate that the other person's speech has become too obscene or vulgar.

con esa boca comes pan

rhetorical question used to indicate that the other person's speech has become too obscene or vulgar


guess what

Perhaps an ellipsis of "(can you) guess what I am about to say/what happened next?"

Guess what the top two success drivers were from his detailed research: a unique, superior, differentiated product; strong market orientation and voice of the customer built in. Guess what the top two deficiencies were: lack of market orientation; poor quality of execution.

2007, David Richmond, The Software Entrepreneur’s Template, page 15:

She started down on one end, and whether she knew you or not, she walked right up to you, got six inches away from your face, and said, “Guess what, I won!”

2011, Bob Merritt, When Life's Not Working: 7 Simple Choices for a Better Tomorrow, page 57:

Have you ever said “abracadabra”, “hocus pocus”, or “presto chango”? Well, guess what? You were casting a spell!

2011, Jen Jones, The Girl's Guide to Wizards: Everything Magical about These Spellbinders, page 17:

(idiomatic, by ellipsis, rhetoric question) Used to introduce a surprising outcome or one that the hearer is not expected to try to guess.

by ellipsis; rhetoric question; by ellipsis; rhetoric question

I've only had two job interviews and – guess what – no job offers.

Yesterday evening at 6:30 P.M. there's a new charge nurse, he's going to give me my seizure medication and guess what? There isn't any!

2011, Sandra Gila, Vortex: The Journey of a Nursing Home Survivor, page 160:

(idiomatic) Used to dramatize the introduction of an unsurprising outcome.


wouldn't you know

wouldn't you know it
wouldn't you know it#English

(idiomatic) Alternative form of wouldn't you know it


need I say more

Joe Bloggs became president – need I say more?

(colloquial, humorous, rhetorical question) Used to say that audience can predict the result of something.


amirite

It's not like you wouldn't want to jump over those lava fountains, amirite?

2009, Tim Lindquist, New Super Mario Bros Wii Coin Collector's Guide, page 51:

(Internet slang, rhetorical question) Alternative spelling of am I right


what are the odds

(idiomatic, rhetorical question) Used to express surprise at an unlikely outcome.


what was someone smoking

Suggesting the smoking of mind-altering drugs.

The SGZ is primarily a signal that Alfa Romeo is back in business as serious maker of serious cars although the Zagato body puts one in mind of the FI team owner whose response to a new car was to ask his designer 'What were you smoking when you designed that?'

1996, Mark Lawrence, A to Z of sports cars, 1945-1990, page 1943:

“...We don't want to live there. It's dark, creepy and it stank. What were you smoking when you bought this place? Hope you bought it real cheap, where is your change at?”
“Shut the hell up”, James snapped back. “I'm your daddy and you going to live where I move you”.

2005, Gemäse Simmons, Worth Fighting For!: The Tragedies & Triumphs of Professor Renee ..., page 25:

Bush and company had a fantasy that we could bring democracy to Iraq and it would cause a domino effect in the Middle East. Suddenly every Arab nation would embrace democracy. What were they smoking?

2007, Lee A. Iacocca, Catherine Whitney, Where have all the leaders gone?, page 82:

(idiomatic, humorous) Used to express surprise about someone's uncharacteristic or wacky, offbeat past actions.


does the Pope shit in the woods

en-au-does the Pope shit in the woods.ogg

A combination of the two rhetorical questions is the Pope Catholic? and does a bear shit in the woods?

"You still interested in a writing job?" he asked. […] Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear shit in the woods? Or, as one of the guys had said a few weeks before, Does the Pope shit in the woods? A writing job. “Yeah,” was all she could say.

2009, Iris Rainer Dart, Til the Real Thing Comes Along, Grand Central Publishing, →ISBN:

"I asked her if she would like a coffee. She turned round, smiled and said: 'Does the Pope shit in the woods?' The wife was aghast. Of course I got the blame!”

2009, James R. Vance, Killer Butterfly, The eBook Sale, page 233

"[…] do you understand that last point about combining two jokes together?" […] I almost replied 'Does a bear shit in the woods?' but then I […] saw the chance to answer in a way that would show I understood them perfectly. "Does the pope shit in the woods?" There was a huge round of applause from the invisible audience, in fact it wasn't just a round of applause, ...

2014, John Byrne, "Rapt In an Enigma" - "A True-life Tale of the Paranormal Unlike Any You Have Read Before", Lulu Press, Inc, →ISBN:

Rhetorical question
rhetorical question#English

(idiomatic, humorous, vulgar) Obviously! Rhetorical question in response to a question where the answer is an emphatic yes.


do bears shit in the woods

does a bear shit in the woods
does a bear shit in the woods#English

(colloquial, rhetorical question, mildly vulgar) Alternative form of does a bear shit in the woods


who am I kidding

The alternative to that is of course the chilling thought of Lucifer. I don't like the idea of that so much. Who am I kidding though? I kill people! People, who do horrible things, but people none the less.

(rhetorical question) Said by someone who, upon the realization that they were kidding themselves, wishes to start thinking in a more sensible, reasonable way.


what are you looking at

(rhetorical question, somewhat hostile) Expresses discomfort because the interlocutor is looking at something; usually, this is said when the interlocutor has been staring at the speaker.


don't I know it

"Here's your shirt," said Slippery. "Make it snappy, we're late."
"Don't I know it," replied the Owl, emerging from the closet with his dinner jacket and vest[…]

(informal) I know; I am very familiar with it (some stated fact).


who died and left you in charge

En-au-who died and left you in charge.ogg

Sarcastic response to somebody assuming a position of authority that they have not earned.


what hath God wrought

Archaic form of the question “what has God made?”, from the Bible, King James Version; popularized especially by being used as the first message sent by telegraph in the United States, by Samuel Morse (May 24, 1844).

A divine unction evidently attended his ministry, and such were the effects produced, that every beholder, with astonishment and admiration, cried "what hath God wrought!"

1855, Thomas Raffles, A Burning and A Shining Light, page 151:

"Oh, my God !" he cried. "He's invented photography." "What hath God wrought?" said the old man, trying to get up.

1925, Donald Ogden Stewart, The Crazy Fool, page 224:

Surely of this work, and of this time, it shall be said, what hath God wrought!

1969, Paul W. Glad, The Process of American History: Early America, page 84:

When Frank put the receiver to his ear, a sepulchral voice asked, "What hath God wrought?"

1987, Edward Fischer, Notre Dame Remembered: An Autobiography, page 173:

The rich man got up, called off the suit and everybody said, “What hath God wrought?”

2011, A. W. Tozer, James L. Snyder, A Disruptive Faith: Expect God to Interrupt Your Life, page 186:

(archaic) An expression of wonder and marvel at something.


am I right

"Ah! So much the worse! A bitter taste it is that such poor cattle always have in their mouths, and hard lives they live, Jacques. Am I right, Jacques?"

1859, Charles Dickens, “Book the First, Chapter V”, in A Tale of Two Cities, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC:

Not a word out of him, he just sat there taking it all in, am I right? Look at their face and you don't know what's going on inside, am I right? Talking about racial overtones, whose insurance company does he think he's working for, am I right Dan?

"And life's short, paisan. I mean, life is short, am I right?"

I mean, you're paying for $24 billion worth of training, and I'm sure there's not a person here who could name 10, much less 150, of the separate training programs available. Am I right?

1993, Bill Clinton, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, William J. Clinton, 1993, Bk. 2, August 1 to December 31, 1993, Government Printing Office, page 1467:

(colloquial, rhetorical question) Said by someone who has just stated what they consider to be an unassailable truth, or at least one worthy of an amen (compare can I get an 'Amen'?).


how no

- I don't want to go out today.
- How no?


what are you waiting for

(rhetorical question) What is the delay? Why are you not acting or proceeding?


are you blind

(sarcastic) A rhetorical question to someone who has failed to see or notice something.


LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-what does that have to do with the price of corn.wav

(rhetorical question, colloquial, sarcastic) A comment used to indicate that a previous comment is irrelevant or unimportant.

what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?


where do I sign up

(rhetorical question) Expresses interest in doing something.


would it kill someone

Would it kill you to pay more attention in lectures?

(rhetorical question) Indicates the speaker is annoyed that someone is not doing something they should do.


you call this

You call this a party?

(rhetorical question, informal) Used to indicate that something is unsatisfactory, inadequate, substandard.


would it hurt

Would it hurt to say "please" once in a while?

(rhetorical question) Used to point out that the interlocutor is failing to do something relatively easy that they should be doing.


are you a man or a mouse

(rhetorical question) Are you a courageous man or a coward?


does someone look like

Why are you asking me to make dinner? Do I look like I can cook?

So you're learning the cello. Great. Do I look like someone who cares?

(rhetorical question) Used if the interlocutor seems to believe something inaccurate about (someone); this question serves to free someone of a misconception.


how's the weather up there

(humorous, rhetorical question) Asked to tall people or someone who is at a high vantage point, either literally or metaphorically.


what are you smoking

(rhetorical question, informal) Infers that the recipient is acting in a crazy or unprecedented way.


does a bear crap in the woods

does a bear shit in the woods?
does a bear shit in the woods#English

(colloquial, rhetorical question) Synonym of does a bear shit in the woods?


does Dolly Parton sleep on her back

An allusion to the singer's large breasts, which might make sleeping on one's front difficult.

is the Pope Catholic
is the Pope Catholic#English

(colloquial, rhetorical question) Synonym of is the Pope Catholic


why keep a dog and bark yourself

En-au-why keep a dog and bark yourself.ogg

(rhetorical question, colloquial) One should not do something that one has hired someone else to do.


what's the beef

(idiomatic, rhetorical question) Why are you complaining? What are you complaining about?


where are the snows of yesteryear

En-au-where are the snows of yesteryear.ogg

Quotation from Dante Gabriel Rossetti's "Ballad of Dead Ladies," an 1869 translation of François Villon's poem "Ballade des dames du temps jadis" (1533) (in the original, où sont les neiges d'antan?). The word yesteryear was coined by Rossetti.

Pathetic as its passing is, one cannot honestly regret the old school. I was looking last night at the programme of my very first hall, and received a terrible shock to my time-sense. Where are the snows of yesteryear? Where are the entertainers of 1895?

1918 [1915], Thomas Burke, Nights in London, New York: Henry Holt and Company:

(rhetorical question, colloquial) Used to emphasize that life passes quickly.

Ballade des dames du temps jadis
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
François Villon


enuh

(Used as a rhetorical question at the end of a sentence, Jamaica) you know


who would have thunk it

The word thunk is a humorous, nonstandard past participle of think.

He stayed until he saw she had recovered her self possession, then he left, telegraphed to Mr. Hinsdale of Helen's safe arrival—always the same thoughtful fellow—and then went home and wrote sonnets to his lady love. "Who'd have thunk it of 'im?"

1895 September, Frances Cora Perce, “A Sonata of the Woods”, in W. S. B. Mathews, editor, Music. A Monthly Magazine Devoted to the Art, Science, Technic and Literature of Music, volume VIII, Chicago, Ill.: The Music Magazine Publishing Company […], →OCLC, pages 478–479:

"Hello, Muggs!" he cried, vainly trying to bestow a pat upon that unquiet animal. "Say, Trevor, hasn't he grown? He's twice the size he was when you got him!" / "It's a way puppies have." / "You don't say so? Who'd have thunk it![…]"

1906, Ralph Henry Barbour, “In the Rowing-room”, in Captain of the Crew, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton and Company, page 147:

Think of it, the N.A.R.D. Journal has included in its propaganda work a forcible crusade against long speeches! Wonders never cease; who would have "thunk it"? Is brevity a lost art? With all the ridicule, satire, hissing and rotten eggs showered upon long windedness, it still remains with us.

1916 February 15, “Bodemann’s Aphorisms”, in Romaine Pierson, editor, The Practical Druggist and Pharmaceutical Review of Reviews, volume XXXIV, number 2, New York, N.Y.: Published by Romaine Pierson, […], →OCLC, page 31, column 1:

Who would have thunk it? Had anyone told me some 10 years ago that I would be alive to see a black person run for President of the United States and be taken seriously, I would have asked what they were tripping on.

1988, Marcia Ann Gillespie, “Something to Celebrate: Thanks to Jesse Jackson, We are Emerging from the Reagan Years with a New Willingness to Pull Together Again”, in Ms., volume 17, New York, N.Y.: Liberty Media for Women, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 22, column 1:

From somewhere in their well-fed, timorous, it-can't-happen-here ranks, a Spartacus had arisen—who would have thunk it?

2001, Stephen King, Dreamcatcher, New York, N.Y.: Pocket Books, →ISBN; 1st Gallery Books trade paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Gallery Books, January 2018, →ISBN, page 462:

(colloquial, sometimes sarcastic) A rhetorical question used to express incredulity: who would have guessed it?; who would have thought that would happen?


how should I know

A rhetorical question asked to show that the person asking it neither knows the answer nor would be able to know it.


who knew

[…] on at least a dozen occasions, the Supreme Court itself […] had spent the last three decades scrutinizing and parsing, expanding and restricting and harmonizing and distinguishing a decision that had been null and void all along. Who knew!

1999, The New York Times Biographical Service, volume 30, page 1518:

And over the course of a couple of days, albeit in a disjointed and non-linear manner, I had basically watched all of What Women Want. It’s a good film! Sarah Paulson is in it! Who knew?

2023 October 3, Stuart Heritage, “Mean Girls in 23 parts: the rise of movies and shows watched on TikTok”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

Expressing surprise, or ironic lack of surprise, upon learning something.


you got a mouse in your pocket

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-you got a mouse in your pocket.wav

From the idea of another referent included in "we," besides the speaker, being invisible.

Your back teeth don't know what your front teeth are saying. 'We know nothing about anything.' Who's we, Connors, you got a mouse in your pocket?

1979, Rosemary Edelman, Fireworks: a novel, →ISBN, page 52:

(rhetorical question, informal, sarcastic) Used as a response to statements starting with "we," usually indicating the speaker does not want to be involved in the interlocutor's statements.


can a duck swim

(colloquial, rhetorical question) A rhetorical question in response to a question whose answer is an emphatic yes.


does a bear poop in the woods

(Canada, US, euphemistic, rhetorical question) Synonym of does a bear shit in the woods?


is the sky blue

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-is the sky blue.wav

(colloquial, rhetorical question) A rhetorical question in response to a question to which the answer is an emphatic yes.


ain't that the truth

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-ain't that the truth.wav

(colloquial) That is very true; I agree (often with a gloomy or pessimistic tone).


what's not to like

What's not to like about Robin Hood? I'll steal from the rich and give to a poor bear: me.

1964, William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Hey There, It's Yogi Bear (motion picture), spoken by Yogi Bear (Daws Butler):

[…]–one would think that this comedy offered satisfactions for gender theorists, feminists, queer theorists, Marxists, and ecocritics alike. What's not to like in As You Like It?

2009, Linda Woodbridge, “Country Matters: As You Like It and the Pastoral-Bashing Impulse”, in Harold Bloom, editor, William Shakespeare: Comedies, Infobase Publishing, →ISBN, page 23:

Kill white people and get paid for it? What's not to like?

2012, Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained (motion picture), spoken by Django (Jamie Foxx):

(informal, rhetorical question, sometimes sarcastic) Rhetorically implying that what is spoken of is undoubtedly good.


working hard or hardly working

(informal, humorous) Used as a question to point out the listener's laziness.


how do you like

How do you like your steak, sir?

How do you like this guy!

(humorous, derogatory) Used to deride the character or personality of someone.


what has someone done

What have you done to the bathroom? It’s spotless. Thanks!

What has he done to his hair? I’ve seen bomb sites tidier than that.

A method of drawing attention to some changed aspect of a person or thing.


have you met me

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-have you met me.wav

From meet (“to get acquainted with someone”). This phrase sarcastically implies that the interlocutor does not know the speaker as well as they should.

(colloquial, sarcastic, rhetorical question) Said when the interlocutor has shown surprise at the speaker's typical attitudes or behavior.


who would have known

A rhetorical question used to express incredulity or surprise: who would have guessed it?; who would have thought that would happen?


if someone told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-if someone told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it.wav

(colloquial, sarcastic) A rhetorical question used to discourage the interlocutor from blind obedience.

if someone told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it


if someone told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?

if someone told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it#English

(rhetorical question) Alternative form of if someone told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it


nawmean

(informal, rhetorical question) Do you know what I mean?


does the Pope wear a funny hat

(idiomatic, humorous) Obviously! Rhetorical question in response to a question where the answer is an emphatic yes.


what does it matter

(colloquial, rhetorical question, impolite) A reply indicating uncaring.


what the crap

There's a duck in my car. What the crap?

Timothy woke up. "What the crap," he said. "Can't you let a guy get some sleep?"

2011, Robert Silverberg, The Book Of Skulls, Orion Publishing Group:

DeeAnn Reisenberg, 41, and her sister were at the mall early Friday, but the lack of crowds stood out to them. "I am thinking, 'What the crap am I doing out here at 4 a.m.?'"

2013 November 29, Jere Downs, The Courier-Journal, page A8:

And tell them if they want me to tell them privately what the crap I think of them, I’ll do that.

2016 January 30, Andrew Carter, The News & Observer, page 4B:

(mildly vulgar, slang) An intensive form of what.


what color is your Bugatti

Coined by Andrew Tate in March 2022 during a video with YouTuber Mike Thurston, and was popularized not long after. In the video, Tate flaunts his newest Bugatti Chiron to Thurston, and explains to him how he handles the people who say they dislike its color: he deridingly asks them, “what color is your Bugatti?” knowing that the vast majority of them are unlikely to own one.

Many secondary school teachers feel they were slow to pick up on Tate’s influence. Last year, they began to notice pupils using phrases they didn’t recognise: “What colour is your Bugatti?” (a way of bragging about status); “Make me a sandwich” (to belittle women and girls).

2023 February 2, Sally Weale, “‘We see misogyny every day’: how Andrew Tate’s twisted ideology infiltrated British schools”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 2024-05-08:

Here’s a more innocuous example: If students are making repeated references to Bugatti, the luxury sports car, they might be watching Andrew Tate videos. The influencer’s infamous retort, “What color is your Bugatti?,” has been popularized as a way of bragging about one’s possessions.

2023 February 10, Madeline Will, “5 Ways Teachers Can Confront Students’ Exposure to Andrew Tate and Other Online Extremists”, in Education Week, archived from the original on 2024-04-11:

At a school in Belfast, Northern Ireland, a line popularized by Mr. Tate to deride people who do not own luxury cars — “What color is your Bugatti?” — became widespread, said Charlotte Carson, a history and civics teacher.

2023 February 19, Emma Bubola, Isabella Kwai, “‘Brainwashing a Generation’: British Schools Combat Andrew Tate’s Views”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 2024-07-28:

(often humorous, rhetorical question, sarcastic, slang) Expression intended to flaunt one’s own material possessions and simultaneously deride another person for not having them.