oh brother
35
8.7
- idiom
- /oʊ ˈbrʌðər/
- Informal
- Oh brother...
Examples
-
Oh brother...
Blog text (28) -
It's just, oh, brother, Oh, yeah, it's a dump.
-
At best, I believe his presence would have people rolling their eyes, going "Oh brother."
Blog text (12) -
Oh, brother, it's just the waste from the refinery upstream, you see?
-
Oh, brother! I can't believe he forgot my birthday again.
-
Oh, brother, why do I always get stuck with the hardest chores?
-
When he said he was late again, I just sighed and replied, 'Oh, brother.'
Synonyms
∞
6.7
Said to show anger, surprise or annoyance
448
7.5
A small amount of care or worry about something
368
7.9
A short sound people make to show disgust or annoyance
200
9.7
A strong expression showing anger, surprise, or urgency
66
8.2
You say this when you feel very annoyed or impatient
44
8.8
A short cry people say when they feel frustrated or annoyed
43
9.9
A very rude phrase people say to show strong anger or annoyance
42
9.9
Say it when you suddenly feel upset or annoyed about a mistake
30
8.4
A short phrase people say when they feel frustrated or disappointed
26
9.0
Shows someone is annoyed, impatient, or in a hurry when spoken
23
9.9
A strong rude shout people use when they feel very angry or shocked
21
8.4
A short angry cry people say when they feel annoyed or frustrated
21
9.9
People say a strong angry word when they feel very annoyed
4
9.9
A short cry people make when they feel pain or are annoyed
2
9.9
Words people say when they are very annoyed or want something done quickly
1
9.9
A short phrase people say to show mild disappointment
How Annoyed
- Informal
66
8.2
- Informal
42
9.9
- Informal
35
8.7
- Informal
∞
5.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The interjection 'oh' signals an emotional reaction but the noun 'brother' does not literally encode frustration; the exclamatory use addresses an imagined interlocutor and conveys annoyance through pragmatic use rather than compositional meaning. Because learners who know 'oh' and 'brother' might guess it is an exclamation but not reliably infer the idiomatic sense of exasperation without exposure, this is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
Oh brother may come from people talking to a real brother when they are annoyed. Imagine seeing your brother do something silly and saying oh brother in a tired voice, and that is why the phrase shows 'frustration' or 'annoyance'.