what's with
262
7.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
qué pasa con
- K.B. hung it around her neck by its string and said, "What's with this weather, Mr. Willard?"
- what's with you today
- what's with the guy
- what's with kids
Examples
-
Hey, Penny, what's with you?
-
"What's with you, anyway?" he asked when they had started back down the highway.
Fiction book (1999) -
- What's with this phone?
-
What is with the 20 questions?
-
A sad smile; what's with this guy?
Fiction book (2002) -
What's with all the police cars in the neighborhood?
-
What's with the breakfast pizza?
-
So, what's with all this Messiah talk?
-
And while I'm at it, what's with the 'registered Dem/Repub' issue?
Blog text (1) -
What's with the noise coming from the construction site?
Synonyms
15
8.9
Asking why something is happening when it seems wrong or surprising
1
8.2
To ask for information about a person or situation
How Accusatory
- Informal
262
7.9
9
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts 'what's' (= what is) and 'with' (marking association or regarding) give a partial clue that the phrase asks about the reason or state of something, so a learner who knows the words can often guess the general function. However, the colloquial pragmatic use (e.g. expressing mild annoyance or puzzlement) and the specific grammatical pattern 'what's with X' are idiomatic enough that full understanding and appropriate use typically require prior exposure.
Etymology
What's with comes from asking what is happening with something you notice, like seeing a messy room and saying what's with all this because you want a 'reason' or feel a little annoyed. So, it's used to ask for an explanation or show mild annoyance.