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Usually, when being served the phrase "What can I do for you?" is used but sometimes I also hear "What can I do you for?" in quite the same context. So is there a difference or is it just a slip of the tongue?

Edit I also heard it amongst others in 'Allo 'Allo and once in The IT Crowd.

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5 Answers

up vote 17 down vote accepted

It's normally a joke.

It's 'funny' because "What can I do you for?" is actually a question that would never be asked, except rhetorically.

Do you, as in "I'm gonna do you in" is what a thug would say before he perpetrated violent acts against you. It could also be used by a police man, for example "Do him for possession", so do him is slang for arrest him.

There is also, the more pertinent definition of do you, which is what a swindler would think when tying to think how to trick you: "What can I do you for?" Where what they mean is "What can I get out of you with my tricks?"

Whereas "What can I do for you?" is someone simply asking how they can help. In the context of a barman, it would be asking what drink or other pub service they can provide.

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Just want to add, when you hear the joke in the exact same context as the correct phrase then it's not meant in any threatening way, it's just the server being corny. – jhocking Apr 24 '11 at 11:10
@jhocking: yes, that's a good point. – Matt Эллен Apr 24 '11 at 15:37
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I always thought that in this joke, do you meant fuck you. (I can say fuck here, right?) – Petruza Apr 24 '11 at 18:47
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@Petruza: No, not in my experience. As I say, it's someone pretending that they will swindle you. Do you can be a sexual reference, but not in this instance. – Matt Эллен Apr 24 '11 at 19:51
Agree that it's not sexual - either swindling or arresting, or possibly violence, as you say in your answer :) – psmears Apr 25 '11 at 21:59
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up vote 7 down vote

No one has hit the right tone with this one yet, so I'm going to step in.

What can I do you for?

is, as others have said, a playful inversion of "What can I do for you?" However, it is a bit more than that. It is said as a kind of challenge, announcing that the speaker is identifying himself (again, playfully) as someone who might actually take advantage of the person being addressed. The impression is that the speaker is a sly dog who commonly swindles people and is not likely to be swindled himself. It is playfully confrontational. If said to a friend, it's a joke. If said to a stranger, it can be almost a warning.

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Right. And a variant expression in commerce, "If you've got the money, I've got the time," works in a similar way with the nuances of challenge, playfulness, and innuendo. – The Raven Apr 24 '11 at 11:07
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Can be a warning, but if a waiter in an informal eatery (eg. a diner) said that to me I would just take it as them being corny. – jhocking Apr 24 '11 at 11:12
I've never heard this phrase used in a way that is anything other than mildly humorous and corny. – kubi Apr 24 '11 at 18:53
@kubi: Notice I said "(again, playfully)" and "playfully confrontational" — my answer is trying to point out the source of the (admittedly small amount of) humor. It's not just about reversing the word order, it's what said reversal implies. – Robusto Apr 24 '11 at 23:52
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up vote 5 down vote

It is commonly used, so it's not really a slip of the tongue. It probably originates in a playful inversion of the usual order for words, which would be “What can I do for you?”.

Also, beware! Unlike what I thought the first time it was said to me, this is not commonly meant (and should not be understood as) a sexual proposition.[1]


[1] See: do (transitive verb; vulgar; slang) • have sexual intercourse with.

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I was not aware of the large number of alternate meanings, because when used in my hearing, it usually *did have a sexual overtone. But that may have been just the company I was keeping: my brother. – shipr Apr 24 '11 at 14:00
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+1 for TMI! haha :) – Paul Amerigo Pajo Apr 24 '11 at 20:24
do is so common, generally I don't have that context in mind - but good point – mbx Apr 26 '11 at 9:31
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up vote 3 down vote

The turn of phrase dates at least back to the early 1940's. see Google NGrams and Popular Science, July 1941

"... Oh, it's Doc Foley, is it? What can I do you for, Doc?" "You can tell me what you did for-and to- that fellow Fred Conroy," Dr. Foley said.

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up vote 1 down vote

It means the same. It is merely a play on words. Some people have been wondering if it has a sexual undertone, but that is not correct (at least not under normal circumstances).

You can hear it anyway - stores, restaurants and with friends.

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