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My first language is Spanish. In Spanish, we have a phrase to indicate when someone has said something so obvious or basic that everyone knows and so there's no need to say it. Is kind of sarcasm. Not really offensive, but you are saying the other party has said a dumb thing.

Felicitaciones, inventaste el agua tibia.

Congratulations, you invented warm water.

The other day, I wanted to reply to a comment in a chat, but was not sure if that would have had the same impact/meaning in English as it has in Spanish.

Aditional Info:

In my case we were talking about an Android Game "Summoner Wars", where you collect monsters and runes, then equip the better runes to mosters to make them stronger.

You usually have to repeat same level multiple times, so as your monster get stronger you finish each level faster.

And the comment was: "You need equip stronger runes to reduce your time". and I was thinking Yes, you just invented the warm water.

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  • @NVZ thanks for the edit. But I have a question. I wrotein english as IS on spanish. but you say should be in english as IN on spanish. doesnt make sense to me, could you elaborate why?
    – Juan Carlos Oropeza
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 14:53
  • Sorry about that. English isn't my main language, either.
    – NVZ ♦
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 14:56
  • @NVZ That is ok, That always gimme the chance to learn something new. BTW. I dont agree with the duplicate. Even when on of the answer is No shit, Sherlock and that make sense. The original question isnt similar to this one.
    – Juan Carlos Oropeza
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 15:00
  • Oh, I see. Don't worry. If more people agree with you, this won't be closed. But the answers in the link might be useful, anyway. :)
    – NVZ ♦
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 15:02
  • 1
    Similar to the Spanish idiom is: "Yes, and water is wet"
    – Michael J.
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 17:28

15 Answers 15

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No shit, Sherlock

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=no%20shit%20sherlock

with Sherlock referring, of course, to Conan Doyle's famous consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes.

Sometimes people just say

No kidding.

or

Now tell me something I don't know.

There is nothing, that I'm aware of anyway, that closely resembles the translation you have provided.

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Thank you, Captain Obvious.

I believe that calling someone Captain Obvious implies that they are a person who is adept at making obvious statements.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Obvious

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  • This is something I'd understand as an American English speaker but I've never heard it used.
    – dj18
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 17:36
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    It's common enough currently that a company (hotels.com, though I wouldn't have remembered that offhand) has been running a TV ad campaign starring a "Captain Obvious" character throughout the United States for a year or so.
    – recognizer
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 19:11
  • This is my wife's comment to me (since she refuses to buy into the duh! meme).
    – bib
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 21:38
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If it's informal, No shit, Sherlock is an option.

(vulgar, colloquial, sarcastic, somewhat derogatory) A riposte to someone who has just said something obvious

  • 1976, Emmett Grogan, Final score, page

    "No shit, Sherlock. Take another look, see how they come to be bent."

  • 2006, Barry Morgan, Never Tell Them You're Dying, page 127:

    My copilot uttered, "I think we are headed for the bridge." No shit, Sherlock.

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  • It goes back farther than 1976--it was common when I was in high school in the early 1960s.
    – StoneyB on hiatus
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 15:38
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    @StoneyB: And if you're in elementary school, the followup is "constipated, Watson?"
    – Peter Cordes
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 20:41
  • Thanks for your answer, I choose surlawda because he send it first.
    – Juan Carlos Oropeza
    Commented May 13, 2016 at 13:57
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We often say duh!

(informal) Used to comment on an action perceived as foolish or stupid, or a statement perceived as obvious:

I left the keys in the ignition—duh!

Leopold correctly informs him that the opera is in Italian (duh!)

Oxford Dictionaries Online

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    This has the disadvantage that it can be misunderstood as "D'oh!" - as in "Oh, of course, silly me, thanks for pointing that out".
    – Dewi Morgan
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 20:24
  • @DewiMorgan Always a possibility, but in the Northeast US, we tend to draw out the duh!, almost a du-uh!, while while our D'oh! tends to be short and clipped. It's all in the inflection.
    – bib
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 20:39
  • yeah, if you can hear it, then it works just fine - speech carries a whole lot more meaning than text. (Well, duh!)
    – Dewi Morgan
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 20:42
  • The best in all history is: Duh Ashley, all wool comes from a cow. youtube.com/watch?v=DgOiM-oa2gA
    – Eric Lippert
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 23:38
  • I believe that this is one of the best answers here, and I feel that you've muddied the waters by including the "I left the keys in the ignition" example.  IMNSHO, foolish/stupid actions don't go with duh; they go with d'oh! And yes, I see that you've linked to the Oxford Dictionaries, so I am saying that they don't know American English very well.
    – Scott - Слава Україні
    Commented May 13, 2016 at 2:30
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You can also consider you don't say. Another link from wikitonary.

It means someone has just said something that everyone knows or is obvious >It is also used to express lack of surprise about what someone said in an unkind way

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    This can heavily depend on the tone of voice used. A mild tone can indicate slight surprise; a disinterested/patronizing tone might be used when the speaker is disinterested but polite. A sarcastic tone would fit the OP's question.
    – dj18
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 17:30
  • paulmarin.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/you-dont-say.jpg
    – Alexis Andersen
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 18:12
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[In other news] Water is wet. The first part is optional.

The pope is catholic.

Both are tautologies, and I couldn't find origins for the sayings, but they're pretty widespread and convey the same meaning as your original phrase.

Out of curiosity, where are you from? Spanish is my native language and I've never heard that expression.

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  • Im from Venezuela.
    – Juan Carlos Oropeza
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 17:44
  • ¡Saludos de México! ñ__ñ
    – J A Terroba
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 17:47
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    One usually sees the second as a question, used to parry an equally obvious question. "Is the stove hot?" "I dunno, is the Pope Catholic?" also: "Does a bear crap in the woods?"
    – Ketura
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 21:19
  • Agree with @Ketura. A variant on this is as follows: Q: "Will this take long?" A: "Does the Pope wear a funny hat and kiss runways?"
    – user208769
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 21:57
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Another common expression in English, said with a sarcastic tone, is

Ya think?!

In other words, the subtext is "Duh! Everyone knows that," or "Well obviously . . .."

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5

"Details at 11" - as if it will be appearing in the late evening news broadcast (not).

This is a common Trope. George Carlin used it.

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  • This answer was flagged as low-quality because of its length and content. Can you try to include reference or link (that can support your answer) and its essential part?
    – user140086
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 16:36
  • I just wanted to let you know. One thing to remember, though. If you keep posting a low-quality answer, you could be blocked from answering a question. It's up to you. Do you think I would care?
    – user140086
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 17:56
  • @Rathony OK, I added a link. Maybe the Juggernaut has already moved too far to rescind the wrath of con.
    – user126158
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 18:30
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Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear shit in the woods?

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    I always heard that one the other way around. Dumb Boy Scouts...
    – user126158
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 18:34
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    @nocomprende, so, Catholic bears?
    – Mark
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 21:03
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Another one you may consider using:

Yes, and the sky is blue

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tell me about it

Slang. What you are saying is obvious; so what else is new: ''Put the water on while I shower. I smell like a goat.'' ''Tell me about it'' (1980s+)

The Dictionary of American Slang

color me surprised!

means you are not surprised or shocked at all and you are being ironic about it.

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One expression that may still have some resonance with English speakers, even though fewer and fewer people think of "breaking news" as something that is reported in print and published on a deadline, is "Stop the presses!" As the Wikipedia article for this expression observes,

"Stop Press" or "Stop the Presses" is a phrase stemming from the printed news media industry as an exclamation signifying the discovery of the need to change the content of an issue just before, or during its printing.

Since this meant that the printing press literally had to be stopped or delayed and much of the existing copies of a publication which had already printed had to be discarded - which carried extreme cost, it is a phrase indicating the arrival of extremely significant news or the discovery of an extremely grave error. The phrase is common in an idiomatic context, referring to the discovery of significant information and is often used sarcastically.

As sarcastic remarks go, it's pretty mild, but it still gets the point across that something that one person considers noteworthy may not be news to someone (or anyone) else.

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What else is new?

in a sarcastic tone indicates that the other person said something "not new".

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If you're going for something less slangy and more dignified, a simple, "Obviously", or, "Indubitably," may suffice.

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Queen Anne is dead - a sarcastic response to someone who tells an old news.

"Its so hot in India"

-Queen Anne is dead!

This question has been asked before by a user. Below is the link-

Where does the idiom "Queen Anne is dead!" come from?

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    I like the concept of this, but I feel the need to point out that, as a native speaker of (American) English, I've never heard it in my life.
    – Tin Wizard
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 16:28
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    The origin of this phrase was asked by a user once, below is the link : english.stackexchange.com/questions/5004/…
    – user99185
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 16:35
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    @QualityTalk I think it would do good if you edited your answer to include the link in your comment.
    – NVZ ♦
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 17:32
  • The American equivalent of this might be "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead." From a recurring Saturday Night Live skit (TV show).
    – Steven Littman
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 17:54
  • Well I dont know who are Queen Anne or Generalissimo Fracisco Franco... But the second one think I hear it before.
    – Juan Carlos Oropeza
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 18:31

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