to know what's what
15
6.7
- idiom
- Informal
:
saber cómo van las cosas
- Now that I know what's what, I can make better decisions about my career.
- know what's what
- let you know what's what
- see what's what
Examples
-
I know what's what.
-
After the film, you'll know what's what.
Fiction book (2001) -
So any guy who knows what's what... will have every opportunity in the world to follow.
-
You don't have to tell me stories, I know what's what.
-
"Stephanie knows what's what, even before I do."
Fiction book (1993) -
She pretty much knows what's what, and she gets a hell of a lot out of life.
Fiction book (2002) -
She knows what's what.
-
If you think you're fooling me... with your friend from Joplin stuff... I know what's what.
-
It's important to know what's what in the industry before starting a business.
-
He has worked in this field for years, so he really knows what's what regarding the latest trends.
Synonyms
294
3.1
To be aware of what is happening
22
7.9
To understand current ideas and styles
13
6.3
To notice things quickly and act to fix them
11
4.9
Understand what really happens in a situation, often when it is bad
1
7.8
To understand how things work in a place or job
1
6.4
To understand what is really happening because of experience
To be an expert in a subject like cooking or computers
To have a lot of skill and information about a subject
Antonyms
How Knowledgeable
- Informal
15
6.7
279
3.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'know' is transparent but the core unit 'what's what' is a fixed colloquial phrase whose meaning ('which thing is which' / 'the facts of the situation') is partly inferable from its parts yet conventionalized. A B1 learner who knows 'know' and 'what' might guess the general idea of understanding the situation, but the extended idiomatic sense 'be well-informed' is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Know what's what comes from the image of someone who can tell one what from another what, so they can see which facts matter. That's why it means 'to be well-informed' or to understand a situation clearly.