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Glite Dictionary
something queer

something queer

1 8.8
A thing that seems strange or not right
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : algo extraño
  • Still, I will proudly declare that there is something queer about it.

Examples

  • Is there something queer about me?

    The Informer (1935)

  • I had a feeling something queer was going on behind my back.

    The Hurricane (1937)

  • I had a feeling there was something queer about the way he was acting.

  • There is something queer about that old building; it gives me an uneasy feeling.

  • Everyone noticed something queer happening at the festival last night.

Synonyms

anomaly
vssomething queer
165 7.1

Something that is not normal or expected

is a strange or unusual thing expressed in simple everyday terms
oddity
vssomething queer
15 5.3

A strange person or object that people notice

is a strange or unusual thing without the sense of being collectible

Antonyms

ordinary
683 1.0

Normal and not special or unusual

normal
35 1.0

The usual or expected state

How Strange

bizarreness
1 6.9
weird
  • Informal
∞ 3.2
something queer
  • Archaic
1 8.8
strange
∞ 2.3

Surface Forms

something queer singular
somethings queer plural

Morphology

something + queer

The meaning 'a thing or event that is strange or unusual' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'something' (an unspecified thing) with 'queer' (odd/unusual). This adjective+noun composition is a productive, cross-linguistically common pattern with no idiomatic shift, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Something queer comes from a time when queer meant 'odd' or 'not right', a word for things that feel out of place. So when you say something queer, you mean there is 'something strange' or 'unusual' happening.