(euphemistic, informal, also, AAVE) What the hell.
WHOOOOAAAAA MAMA HEY WHAT THE WHAT THE HEEEEEEEY MAMA WHOOOOOAAAA WHOAAA WHAT THE WHAT WHAT THE HUH HEY WOOOOOOOOOOO MAMA
@morningjoe-msnow.bsky.social The War, Blip, excursion, on again, off again. What the what!? Why the Republicans keep playing, they know Trump is unwell. Oh, they have their own agendas.
(euphemistic, informal, also, AAVE) What the hell.
"what the what" means: What the hell.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.
"what the what" means: What the hell.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. Note the regional or dialect label (AAVE) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
"what the what" means: What the hell.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Slang from Black American Vernacular English (AAVE), hip-hop, drag and ballroom culture, the Caribbean, and NYC street vocabulary. The single largest source of new mainstream English slang in living memory.
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“WHOOOOAAAAA MAMA HEY WHAT THE WHAT THE HEEEEEEEY MAMA WHOOOOOAAAA WHOAAA WHAT THE WHAT WHAT THE HUH HEY WOOOOOOOOOOO MAMA”
“@morningjoe-msnow.bsky.social The War, Blip, excursion, on again, off again. What the what!? Why the Republicans keep playing, they know Trump is unwell. Oh, they have their own agendas.”
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(US, primarily, AAVE, slang, derogatory) Expressing firm disagreement or refusal.