Street voices
Hugues
·
United States
"What else is new? A sarcastic comment made in reply to a statement or piece of information that just isn't new at all and is just totally normal. Hey dude, you notice anything? Oh, what, what, what? I dyed my hair again. Oh, what else is new? It's like the fifth time this month."
What it means
A dry little comeback for when someone tells you something painfully obvious or completely unsurprising. You throw it out to mean yeah, obviously, that's the usual circus. It often comes with an eye roll or a sigh, and it's usually cheeky more than vicious.
Usage examples
"You dyed your hair purple again? What else is new? At this rate your bathroom mirror knows the colour chart better than you do."
"He showed up twenty minutes late with no apology, and we all just looked at each other and muttered what else is new."
"She forgot her charger, lost her keys, and missed the train. What else is new? That's just her Tuesday starter pack."
"They said the office printer jammed again and nobody even blinked. What else is new? That thing's been fighting humanity for years."
"Mum said my brother left every light in the house on again. What else is new? The lad treats electricity like it's free confetti."
Where it comes from
A rhetorical shrug dressed up as a question, since the answer is always nothing. It turns mock curiosity into a flat dismissal of behaviour that everyone already expects.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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