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Glite Dictionary
what's the story with

what's the story with

1 8.2
To ask for information about a person or situation
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : cuál es la historia con
  • No, I mean, what is the story with the recent fish crisis?

Examples

Synonyms

what's with
vswhat's the story with
  • Informal
262 7.9

Ask why something is happening or seems strange

asks neutrally for information about a situation rather than showing emotion
how so
vswhat's the story with
19 5.1

To ask someone to explain how or why something is true

asks for general information about a situation rather than clarifying a prior remark

How Casual

happenin'
  • Slang
9.9
what's the story
  • Informal
34 8.2
what's the story with
  • Informal
1 8.2
what's the matter
  • Informal
161 2.0

Surface Forms

what's the story with main

Morphology

what's + the + story + with

The meaning is directly built from the constituents: 'what's' (what is) asks for information, 'story' can mean an account or situation, and 'with' marks the relation to the target. This compositional reading — essentially 'what is the account regarding X' — is regular and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows the words will likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrase what's the story with gives a simple image of someone pointing at a person or thing and asking for the whole story behind it. So, it is used to 'ask for information or an explanation' about a situation.