go figure!
go figure
A phrase used to highlight that what has been said is unexpected, absurd, or difficult to understand or accept. The one time I get to the station on time, the train is delayed—go figure!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
Go figure.
It's really strange.; Just try to figure it out. She says she wants to have a conversation, but when I try, she does all the talking. Go figure.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
go figure
mainly AMERICAN, INFORMALPeople say go figure when they want you to consider something they have just said because it is surprising or interesting. The average wage is $23,000 but you would need to earn $31,000 to buy the typical first home. Go figure. When I interviewed her she seemed like a nice, normal girl. So is this scandal true? Go figure.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
go figure!
work it out for yourself (used to suggest that the conclusion to be drawn about something is obvious). North American informal 1999 Massive In the last election, the Tories got 19 per cent of the votes in Scotland and have no MPs there at all, while the Lib Dems got 13 per cent and have 10 MPs. Go figure.
See also: go
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
go ˈfigure
(American English, informal) used to say that you do not understand the reason for something, or that you do not want to give an explanation for something because you think it is obvious: At the same time that I was criticized for working too fast I was accused of working too slow. Go figure!Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
Go figure
interj. Try to figure it out.; Just try to explain that! They heat the water to make the tea hot, then they put ice in it to make it cold, then they put lemon in it to make it sour, and then they put sugar in it to make it sweet. Go figure.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
go figure
Used in the imperative to indicate the unexpectedness or absurdity of something.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
go figure
It’s puzzling; I can’t explain this contradiction or anomaly, but perhaps you can. William Safire believes this imperative came from the Yiddish gey rekhn, meaning “go reckon,” or “go figure it out.” More idiomatic English would have it as “go and figure,” but the conjunction was dropped. However, it may also be a version of the American you figure it (with the emphasis on “you”), a phrase Eric Partridge said dates from the 1920s. Whatever the source, the brief phrase expresses a wealth of feeling.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer