Surprise Phrases

Phrases

• A, B, C, D, E, Your public library has arranged these in ways that make you cry, giggle, laugh, love, hate, wonder, ponder and understand (American Library Association advertising slogan)
• Acoustic shock
• All of a sudden
• Ay caramba (A catchphrase from Bart Simpson)
• Before you could say knife
• Beggar belief
• Believe it or not
• Bless my soul
• Blessing in disguise
• Blow someone away
• Blown sideways
• Bolt from the blue
• Burst your bubble
• By George
• By George, I think she's got it
• By guess and by golly
• By gum
• By jingo
• Can you believe it?
• Caught napping
• Caught off base (A baseball expression meaning unawares or by surprise)
• Caught with your pants down
• Chinless wonder
• Come down to earth with a bump
• Culture shock
• Dawn raid
• Double take
• Drop a bombshell
• Duncan the Wonder Horse (Nickname of TV news anchor Tom Brokaw)
• Eye popping
• Eyebrow raising (something that creates shock or surprise)
• Eyes like saucers
• F*ck a duck
• Face palm moment
• Fancy meeting you here
• Fancy that!
• Flaming Nora
• Flash crash (the sudden drop in the Dow Jones Index in 2010)
• For goodness sake
• Future shock
• Get away with you!
• Get the drop on
• Get the jump on
• Gift from the gods
• Go ahead, make my day (A catchphrase from Sudden Impact)
• Golly gee
• Good Golly Miss Molly (Little Richard song)
• Good golly
• Good grief
• Good heavens
• Goodness me
• Gordon Bennett!
• Great Scott
• Great scot (exclamation of surprise)
• Green Scare
• Gutless wonder
• Have I got news for you
• Heavens to Betsy
• Hell's bells and buckets of blood
• Hell's teeth
• Holy Moses
• Holy Toledo
• Holy moley
• Holy shit
• Hot diggety dog
• I ask you
• I can't believe my eyes
• I never did
• I should cocoa
• I'll be a monkey's uncle
• I'll be damned
• I'll eat my hat
• I'll go to the foot of our stairs
• If that don't take the rag off the bush
• In for a shock
• In from left field
• In shock
• Inspire me Surprise me AMD me (AMD advertising slogan)
• It had to be seen to be believed
• It looks good, it tastes good, and by golly it does you good (Mackeson Beer advertising slogan)
• Jaw dropping
• Jump out of your skin
• Jumping Jehosophat
• Kick up the backside
• Knock for six
• Knock sideways
• Knock your socks off
• Like a bolt from the blue
• Look what the cat dragged in
• Lord love a duck
• Mind blowing
• Mind boggling
• My giddy aunt
• My heart missed a beat
• My word!
• Nine days' wonder
• No one expects the Spanish Inquisition (A catchphrase from Monty Python's Flying Circus)
• No wonder the English have kept cool for 192 years (Gordon's Gin advertising slogan)
• On the blind side
• One for the book
• One in the eye
• Ours is not to wonder why, ours is just to do or die
• Out of character
• Out of left field
• Out of the blue
• Out of the clear blue sky
• Pinch yourself
• Sakes alive
• Scare quotes
• Scare the living daylights out of
• Seven day wonder
• Shell shock
• Shit a brick
• Shlock horror
• Shock and awe
• Shock horror
• Shock jock
• Short sharp shock
• Small wonder
• Small wonder (Volkswagen advertising slogan)
• Snakes alive
• So easy to use, no wonder it's number one (AOL advertising slogan)
• Spit take (spitting out a drink in response to a joke or surprise)
• Sticker shock
• Stone the crows
• Stopped in your tracks
• Strike a light
• Strike me pink
• Surprise package
• Surprise surprise
• Surprised by joy
• Taken aback
• Tales of the unexpected
• Talking Book (Stevie Wonder album)
• That beats everything
• That just about takes the biscuit
• That's a new one on me
• That's rich
• The Boy Wonder (Nickname of Robin)
• The Wonder Of You (Elvis Presley song)
• The mind boggles
• The shock of the new
• The wonder of Woolworths (Woolworths advertising slogan)
• Theirs is not to wonder why, theirs is but to do or die
• Thrilled to bits
• Tickled pink
• Tickled to death
• Turn of events
• Turn up for the books
• Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are (line from nursery rhyme)
• Well I never
• Well blow me down
• What has come over you?
• What in the Sam Hill
• What on earth?
• What the devil?
• What's all this in aid of?
• Wonder Boys (Michael Douglas movie)
• You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (Stevie Wonder song)
• You could have knocked me down with a feather
• You must be joking
• You'll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent (Pepsodent toothpaste advertising slogan)