say what
68
9.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
¿qué?
- You don't have forever to say what you need to say.
Examples
-
Did you just say what I just think you just said?
-
Say what?
-
Say what you need to say.
-
If nothing else, as I get older, I'm learning to just say what needs to be said.
Blog text (10) -
Antony, just say what you want done and it will be.
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Why didn't you say what you wanted straight away?
Fiction book (1999) -
Say what you'd like to say and always smile.
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Say what you want about my granddad, he made one hell of a bug zapper.
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DID WHOLESOME AMY SMART JUST SAY WHAT I THINK SHE SAID?
-
What, did he just say what I think he said?
Synonyms
476
9.9
To ask someone to repeat what they said because you do not believe it
347
8.9
An angry or surprised question showing you do not believe something
90
8.9
A short cry to show surprise, confusion, disbelief, or casual acceptance
13
7.4
Shows surprise or mild doubt about what someone just said
8
2.6
Words people say when they are surprised to see something
5
7.5
A short phrase people say to show surprise or shock
5
9.9
A phrase people say to show strong surprise or that they do not believe what someone just said
3
9.6
To say when you are very surprised or shocked
3
7.7
Said when you doubt what someone says, often ironically
2
7.0
To show surprise, shock or disbelief in a mild, polite way
A short phrase people say to show surprise or confusion
A strong spoken reaction showing surprise and disbelief
To say or write a short exclamation to show surprise
To show you are surprised something happened
A short phrase people say to show surprise at something amazing
Shout loudly because you are surprised or shocked
To say 'bejeebus' loudly when you are surprised or annoyed
A word you say to show surprise or strong feeling
Antonyms
How Surprised
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal constituents 'say' (to speak) and 'what' (question word) make the phrase interpretable as a request for repetition or an incredulous question (i.e., 'what did you say?'), so learners will get a close approximation of its function. However, the fixed interjectional use, pragmatic nuance of surprise/disbelief, and reliance on intonation are not fully predictable from the parts alone, so prior exposure or pragmatic awareness is usually needed for full comprehension.
Etymology
Say what comes from the quick, shocked question 'what did you say?'. Imagine hearing something hard to believe and asking the speaker to repeat it, so the phrase shows 'surprise' or 'disbelief'.