asking for a friend

1 8.4

Saying a question is for someone else when you really mean yourself

idiom

Texting

: preguntando por un amigo

Is it normal to feel tired after asking for a friend?

Examples

Is it weird to have pizza for breakfast, or am I just asking for a friend?
What’s the maximum number of cats one should own—just asking for a friend.
Do you know any tips for getting wine out of carpet? Asking for a friend.
I'm just asking for a friend about the best pizza place.
I'm just curious, but what is the best way to get over a breakup? Asking for a friend.
Do you think it's okay to date someone much younger? I'm asking for a friend.
What's the best way to ask someone out on a date? Just asking for a friend.

Surface Forms

asking for a friend main

Morphology

ask + for + a + friend

The literal sense 'to ask on behalf of a friend' is directly derivable from the constituents, so the compositional meaning is clear. However, the conventional pragmatic/ironic use (the speaker is actually asking for themselves or joking) is a discourse-level implicature not predictable from the words alone, so learners unfamiliar with the idiom may not infer the humorous intent.

Etymology

Asking for a friend comes from the simple image of someone asking a question 'for' a friend to hide that the question is really about themselves. That's why people use it jokingly when they want to ask something embarrassing but pretend it is 'for someone else'.