what's up
English
English phrasebook
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Alternative forms
Etymology
Made popular by the cartoon character Bugs Bunny as part of his catch phrase “What’s up Doc?”, as early as 1940.[1]
Phrase
- (idiomatic, colloquial) What are you doing?; what is happening?
- "Hey, what's up?" / "Not much, just working."
- (rhetorical question, colloquial) A casual greeting with a meaning similar to how are you? or nice to meet you.
- "Hey, what's up?" / "Hey! Good to see you."
- (idiomatic, colloquial) What do you need?; How can I help you?
- "Can I ask you something?" / "Sure, what's up?"
- (idiomatic, colloquial) What’s the matter?
- 1884, Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn:
- Hello, what's up? Don't cry bub. What's the trouble?
- 1912, W. Somerset Maugham, Lady Frederick: A Comedy in Three Acts, Act 1:
- Lady Frederick: Oh lord, I wish I were eighteen. [She sinks into a chair, and an expression of utter weariness comes over her face.]
- Gerald: I say, what's up?
- Lady Frederick: [Starting.] I thought you'd gone. Nothing.
- 1884, Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn:
Usage notes
Sometimes, people give sarcastic responses to this question, such as "the sky" or "the ceiling" (or anything that is above the speaker).
Synonyms
- (how are you?): what’s happening?, what’s new?, what's the haps?
- what are you doing?
- (humorous): what's up Doc?
Translations
How are you?
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked
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See also
References
- What's up Doc by Gary Martin, phrases.org.uk.
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