2

Such as 'what on Earth' or 'what in the world', etc. I'm trying to come up with a list of witty alternatives.

Note: I'm not looking for alternatives to the letters W, T, and F. I'm looking for alternative phrases such as the ones I listed above.

Improve this question
10
  • This might get closed as it's subjective and there is no right answer... but i think It's a good thread :)
    – Oscar Godson
    Commented Jun 3, 2011 at 23:07
  • 1
    Community Wiki? Anyone?
    – Thursagen
    Commented Jun 3, 2011 at 23:13
  • Yeah, this could definitely be a Wiki question.
    – Dominique
    Commented Jun 3, 2011 at 23:16
  • 1
    Wiki maybe. Certainly not what I would want to see in the main EL&U site. This isn't urbandictionary.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jun 3, 2011 at 23:20
  • 2
    @Alenanno, et al - if someone told you that you can't read/browse/search just CW posts, they were incorrect. Here's your link.
    – Dori
    Commented Jun 5, 2011 at 3:43

10 Answers 10

Reset to default
13

WTD is quite old (What the Devil). Here's an early example from 1727:

enter image description here

Improve this answer
2
  • I'd forgotten about that phrase. Also, the play by John Vanbrugh that you linked to looks quite hilarious. :)
    – Dominique
    Commented Jun 4, 2011 at 0:31
  • 1
    Makes me think of "What the deuce?"
    – Kit Z. Fox ♦
    Commented Jun 4, 2011 at 0:36
7

How about:

How in Tarnation!?
What in Thunder?
I'll be jiggered!

Maybe you would like:

How on earth?
How in Creation?

Improve this answer
4
  • 2
    "How in tarnation?" -- that's a good one.
    – Dominique
    Commented Jun 3, 2011 at 23:12
  • 1
    Another one: "what the fiddlesticks?"
    – Dominique
    Commented Jun 3, 2011 at 23:20
  • 1
    @Dominique - I learned a while back that "tarnation" comes from "tarnal damnation", where "tarnal" is a corruption of "eternal".
    – MT_Head
    Commented Jun 4, 2011 at 16:29
  • @MT_Head. I had wondered about that. I think I had only every heard it used by Yosemite Sam in the cartoons.
    – TecBrat
    Commented Aug 19, 2012 at 2:53
4

blimey
exclamation Brit., informal
used to express one's surprise, excitement, or alarm.
ORIGIN late 19th century: altered form of (God) blind (or blame) me!

Improve this answer
2

My grandmother used to say "well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs!"

Improve this answer
1

I've always liked "Well, shut my mouth wide open!", as exclaimed by Dot in an episode of Animanics.

Improve this answer
1
  • 1
    This reminds me of "well, slap my thigh and call me Sally!" and similar phrases. "Well, cover me in sugar and call me a donut" is another one. A quick Google search will bring up lots of variations.
    – Dominique
    Commented Jun 3, 2011 at 23:29
1

There is a common phrase that borrows a word from the French and is an alternate to "What the Devil?":

What in the deuce?

Improve this answer
1
  • I always heard that 'deuce' was just a euphemism for 'devil'.
    – Tim Lymington
    Commented Jun 4, 2011 at 12:54
1

An old favourite is "lo!" as in "lo and behold!" but also used on its own.

It has been around since the first millennium and was also used in the epic poem Beowulf. See also Moby Dick for plenty of examples.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/lo-and-behold.html

Improve this answer
1

I can think of only one:

Well, I never!

Improve this answer
1

In Australia, the typical exclamation would be, simply, "Oi!" (the roots of which can probably be found in Cockney English). Another one, made famous by the late Steve Irwin, is "Crikey!"

Improve this answer
0

I am partial to "odds bodkins" and "sweet mother of pearl!"

Improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .