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That's why I always use the original, more vulgar version.

 

Actually I just do "what the [x]" where x is usually the first thing that comes to mind.

I'll say "What the what" and it'll still be met with proper confusion.

I have a friend at school who yells 'What the AIDs', which is actually kinda funny, for how out-of-the-ordinary it is.

It's better than people who say What the carp all the time.. Poor freshwater fish, having their species so wrongfully used as an exclamation.. Forget burger-eating, PETA needs to stop this outrageous attack on an innocent and defenseless species!

 

~~~>

I believe the original phrase was "what in the heck?". All the same, it's just an exclamation. Like "what on Earth" or "what the devil".

 

They've been said too many times to have real meaning any more.

It doesn't, but the curse is used to add emphasis to confusion.

It's short for "what the heck is that?/just happened?/are you doing?/etc"

 

But I usually say "what the what?!"

I've heard someone say: "what the French Toast!"

I've always just accepted it. If you think about it, lots of stuff makes no sense. Awesome means "Causes or inspires awe", but never is used as such. Pathetic means "inspiring pity". Massive means "made of matter, having mass", not "really big".

But it's probably a shortening of the original phrase.

 

I prefer "What the Karzahni" or "What the (noun, like cornmuffin or tribble), in rare situations the original version.

[linguisticnerd]Languages evolve. This kinda thing will become increasingly prevalent until the rules of English simply change to hold it.[/linguisticnerd]

You need to change your period to a question mark, Turakii!!!

You don't just calmly say "What the heck.", or "What the shopping mall.", you scream a question like.....

"WHAT THE DISCOING COATS!?!??!?!"

 

 

-Jordboy1

It's better than people who say What the carp all the time.. Poor freshwater fish, having their species so wrongfully used as an exclamation.. Forget burger-eating, PETA needs to stop this outrageous attack on an innocent and defenseless species!

 

~~~>

I do that sometimes, except in the form of "Holy carp," and I do it just to be silly.

 

A favorite of mine is "What the barbecue?"

 

~

I use the edited Remember the Name style, What the ____. and yes, I can pronounce the ____.

What in the name of Artakha is this mess?

 

«Takuma Nuva»

I thought of that two. There are many common phrases that we take for granted, but make little grammatical sense once you think about it. I can't think of any others at the moment, but I know I've diagnosed several such phrases with this disorder.

 

EDIT: Another example of inappropriate grammar is "Epic Fail". Some people actively attack the phrase. No, if you slice and splice it, it is not grammatically correct.

 

However, with such statements, the meaning is the key concept. They have poetic license and bypass the laws of English grammar, and thus when someone says "What the Heck" or "Epic fail", the laws of grammar do not apply to them. It is merely an invented statement that has a specific meaning due to cultural association.

 

A good analogy is Frankenstein's creation. The monster was in the form of a giant human being, twisted and construed. Was he a person? Did he have a soul? Yes, he did. He was similar to a human being, but he is not. He is a monster, something completely of his own. Unique, really.

 

This relates to the issue of grammatically incorrect in several ways. He was derived from human components, just like phrases like "Epic fail" are derived from English words. Frankenstein's monster was not technically a human, just like "What the Heck" is not technically proper grammar. He was, however, a unique creation, a being one-of-a-kind. What he was, you can determine that for yourself. On the other side of the analogy, grammatically incorrect phrases in our culture are each still unique statements.

 

Please note, however, that I am only addressing completely phrases, such as the primary example used in this blog entry. I do not accept a verb phrase such as "should of" instead of "should have". These are tools used within sentences. Phrases such as "What the Heck" and "Epic fail" in the meantime might take the place of a sentence, as they express a complete thought. It's like posting a picture instead of typing out a comment instead.

 

In all, the big picture is that spoken words are ultimately a form of communication. There are more formal ways to speak, which would be the use of full sentences, but it is not a sin to utter a phrase that exists in its own world. The main point is what you say, and not how you say it.

 

Unless you are a politician.

 

Your Honor,

Emperor Kraggh

What does 'heck' even mean? I prefer to use the uncensored version, "What the underworld".

I say it because I love swearing, even the tamer ones.

I say it because I love swearing, even the tamer ones.