(well) what do you know
A phrase used to indicate one's surprise upon discovering something. Hey, what do you know—we have chocolate chips in the cabinet after all. Well, what do you know! It says here that my ancestors first came to this country in 1857! John managed to get the job after all? Well, what do you know.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
(Well,) what do you know!
Inf. a way of expressing surprise at finding something that is unexpected; an expression of mild surprise at something someone has said. (No answer is expected or desired.) Andy: Well, what do you know! Here's a brand new shirt in this old trunk. Bob: I wonder how it got there. Tom: These two things fit together like this. John: Well, what do you know!
What do you know (about that)?
Inf. That is very interesting. Tom: I heard that Jim and Mary are getting married. Jane: Well! What do you know about that? What do you know? Bill finally sold his house!
What do you know?
Inf. a typical inquiry on greeting someone. (A specific answer is not expected. Often pronounced "Wha-da-ya know?") Bob: Hey, Tom! What do you know? Tom: Look who's here! Hi, Bob! John: What do you know? Mary: Nothing. How are you? John: Okay.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
what do you know
What a surprise, as in What do you know, our suitcases are the first off the plane. [Early 1900s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
what do you know (about that)?
used as an expression of surprise. informal, chiefly North AmericanFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
(well) what do you ˈknow (about ˈthat)?
(informal) used to express surprise: Well, what do you know? Look who’s here!Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
what do you know, (well)
What a surprise. This expression, which often precedes an ironic announcement of some kind, has been around since the turn of the twentieth century. Robert Benchley used it in his “Watching a Spring Planting” (in Love Conquers All, 1923): “Hey, what do you know? Steve here thinks he’s going to get some corn up in this soil!”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer