22
votes
How to retort when somebody says something you already know?
No shit, Sherlock
(vulgar, colloquial, sarcastic, somewhat derogatory)
A riposte to someone who has just said something obvious
A reference to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, pretending ...
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18
votes
How to retort when somebody says something you already know?
While I don't have North American experience, I have heard "Tell me something I don't know" used in such situations. It indicates that the previous remark has not done this.
For example, ...
- 5,740
17
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How to retort when somebody says something you already know?
Are you looking for something colloquial? How about:
duh interjection
2 —used derisively to indicate that something just stated is all too obvious or self-evident Well,
duh! Source:
Merriam-...
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15
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How to retort when somebody says something you already know?
If you want to be critical, I'm sure there are many put-downs, among which "Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Another could be "Gee, thanks!" if said with a sarcastic tone.
Captain ...
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9
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How to retort when somebody says something you already know?
“You don’t say” seems to fit the desired meaning and sentiment. When used ironically/sarcastically with flat or tetchy affect, perhaps raising your eyebrows or even rolling your eyes, it expresses ...
- 227
7
votes
Translating Russian "не то, не то" into English
Он не то геолог, не то археолог ~ "He's some kind of geologist or archaeologist" ("some kind" vs. implied "I'm not sure what his occupation is, could be this or could be that&...
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6
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What is the origin of the phrase “aiding and abetting”?
Aid is easy to understand. Abet, according to etymonline comes from French:
late 14c., "urge on, incite" (implied in abetting), from Old French abeter "to bait, to harass with dogs,&...
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4
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Why is "hard of hearing" an idiomatic phrase, but "hard of reading" isn't commonly used?
Expressions 'hard of [noun]' are rare in the English language, and thus, as the grammar is unusual, idioms: one can't assume that substituting 'hearing' with any other noun (including nounal ing-forms)...
- 87.1k
4
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Idioms for when doing something needless when you really have many important things to do first
One potentially relevant idiom is "fiddling while Rome burns," which Christine Ammer, The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, second edition (2013) discusses as follows:
fiddle while ...
- 169k
4
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Translating Russian "не то, не то" into English
neither fish nor fowl (Dictionary.com)
Also, neither fish nor flesh ; neither fish, flesh, nor fowl.
Not one or the other, not something fitting any category under discussion
For example,
They felt ...
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3
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How to retort when somebody says something you already know?
"Ya/you think?" can be used to sarcastically question someone's statement about something that is very obvious to everyone present. It implies not that just you knew something already, but ...
- 15.2k
2
votes
Origin of "to have a cow"
Following up on Hugo's excellent answer, I offer the following early occurrence of the phrase "don't have a cow" from an advertisement for Jay Perri's Sock Hop on WTOP channel 9 in ...
- 169k
2
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How to retort when somebody says something you already know?
Teaching grandmother to suck eggs
It means to explain a task to someone who already knows how to do it, possibly better than the teacher. It's a trifle archaic but still current enough to be ...
- 1,814
2
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Can you say “you have no morality” to criticize somebody who’s immoral?
It would be more usual to say "You have no morals."
standards for good or bad character and behavior:
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1
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How to retort when somebody says something you already know?
"I am aware (of that)..." It's polite unless said with a harsher tone.
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1
vote
Chicks - Girls, Cats - Boys?
"Cats" is not common nowadays, but was in US jazz circles mid last century (the time of the song).
Cab Calloway, in his Hepster's Dictionary (1944), has "Cat" as a "musician ...
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1
vote
Chicks - Girls, Cats - Boys?
At the outset, regarding the lyrics cited in the original question above, I note that the original version of the song recorded by Little Willie John doesn't include the reference to "cats" ...
- 169k
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