phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

You don't say

Posted by Smokey Stover on August 29, 2004

In Reply to: You don't say posted by Joey on August 29, 2004

: Sorry
: could you be more specific about it?
: Thank you

I think Dr. Briggs is as specific as you can get. Conversation in English is often full of expressions not to be taken literally, sometimes best translated as "I'm listening, keep going." In my youth "You don't say!" meant "Really? I find that interesting, keep talking." The speaker, for his or her part, would often say, "Don'tcha know?," while one might hear nowadays, "Ya know?" I suppose these and many other expressions could be termed as grease to help the conversation keep moving. SS

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.