Saturday, March 14, 2015

phrase usage - What is the meaning of "Well, what do you know" here in "The Dark Knight Rises"?


In The Dark Knight Rises, when Batman shows up on the day of heist in the StockExchange, the anchor in a news channel is speaking the story with a alot of excitement and informs that what appears to be Batman has finally returned after 8 years. Hearing this, Selina Kyle says:



Well, what do you know?



What is it, a soliloquy or a desperate question to the anchor out of the joy/anger she was feeling then?


Also, what does it mean actually? I think, it means that there is more to know about Batman in the coming time although I am not sure about it. Is my interpretation correct here?




Answer



It's an idiom which means "I wasn't expecting that" but with a stronger sense of surprise. It is not as strong as "Well, I'll be damned."


I might say "Well, what do you know" if I had previously said "this will never happen" but then it happened anyway.


It's generally not a good idea to try to analyse idioms, but sometimes it can help you remember the meaning. If we view "you" in the sentence as the indefinite "you," then it can be read as a reflection on the uncertainty of knowledge.


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