what the en · INTJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From various expressions such as what the Sam Hill, what the hey, what the heck, what the hell and what the fuck by aposiopesis.
Meanings
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(qualifier: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.
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:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| what the … | canonical | lexicographic |
Relateds
what the Devil (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the eff (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the fish (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the hey (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the shit (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the fuck (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the fudge (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the dickens (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the hell (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the crap (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the flip (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the Sam Hill (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the cuss (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the actual fuck (terms related to "what the … ?") · what the heck (terms related to "what the … ?")
Translations (3)
nv mąʼiísh óolyé! (expression of astonishment) · ceb gibaliw (expression of astonishment) · fr c’est quoi ce délire ?! (expression of astonishment)