guess what
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Perhaps an ellipsis of "(can you) guess what I am about to say/what happened next?"
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Phrase[edit]
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see guess, what.
- (idiomatic, by ellipsis, rhetoric question) Used to introduce a surprising outcome or one that the hearer is not expected to try to guess.
- 2007, David Richmond, The Software Entrepreneur’s Template[1], page 15:
- Guess what the top two success drivers were from his detailed research: a unique, superior, differentiated product; strong market orientation and voice of the customer built in. Guess what the top two deficiencies were: lack of market orientation; poor quality of execution.
- 2011, Bob Merritt, When Life's Not Working: 7 Simple Choices for a Better Tomorrow[2], page 57:
- She started down on one end, and whether she knew you or not, she walked right up to you, got six inches away from your face, and said, “Guess what, I won!”
- 2011, Jen Jones, The Girl's Guide to Wizards: Everything Magical about These Spellbinders[3], page 17:
- Have you ever said “abracadabra”, “hocus pocus”, or “presto chango”? Well, guess what? You were casting a spell!
- (idiomatic) Used to dramatize the introduction of an unsurprising outcome.
- I've only had two job interviews and – guess what – no job offers.
- 2011, Sandra Gila, Vortex: The Journey of a Nursing Home Survivor[4], page 160:
- Yesterday evening at 6:30 P.M. there's a new charge nurse, he's going to give me my seizure medication and guess what? There isn't any!
Synonyms[edit]
- (used to dramatize the unsurprising): you know what
Translations[edit]
used to dramatize the unsurprising
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