how very dare you
- idiom
- Informal
:
¡cómo te atreves!
- I can't believe you said that! How very dare you!
Examples
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When he accused her of lying, she exclaimed, 'how very dare you!'
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How very dare you accuse me of lying!
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'How very dare you come in here and make such accusations?' she shouted.
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The teacher was shocked and said, 'how very dare you talk to me like that!'
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'How very dare you come in here and make such accusations?' she shouted.
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The teacher was shocked and said, 'how very dare you talk to me like that!'
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When he accused her of lying, she exclaimed, 'how very dare you!'
Synonyms
347
8.9
An angry or surprised question showing you do not believe something
14
9.9
A strong rude shout people use when they feel very angry or shocked
A strong feeling of surprise and anger at someone's rude, bold act
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although the literal meanings of 'how' and 'dare' point to questioning someone's boldness, the phrase 'How (very) dare you' is a conventionalized exclamative expressing strong outrage rather than a genuine question. A B1 learner who knows the constituents could probably guess the general sense of indignation, but the pragmatic, fixed exclamative use (and the intensified 'very') is somewhat idiomatic and requires exposure, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
How very dare you may come from putting the strong words how and very in front of the direct challenge dare you to make the shock bigger. Picture someone gasping 'how' and then angrily asking 'dare you' — that clear image explains why the phrase shows 'outrage' or 'disbelief' today.