English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Made popular by the cartoon character Bugs Bunny as part of his catch phraseWhat’s up Doc?”, as early as 1940. Originally a common greeting from Bugs Bunny creator Tex Avery's neighborhood in Taylor, Texas. [1]

Pronunciation

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Phrase

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what's up?

  1. (idiomatic, colloquial, with up in the sense of "of concern") What’s the matter? What is the problem? What is wrong?
    You're looking a bit miserable. What's up?
    I got a call saying to come straight away. What's up?
  2. (idiomatic, colloquial, chiefly US, with up in the sense of "happening") What's happening? What are you doing?
    Synonyms: what's happening, what's new, what's the haps
    Hey, what's up? – Not much, just working.
  3. (rhetorical question, colloquial) A casual greeting with a meaning similar to hi or nice to meet you.
    Hey, what's up? – Hey! Good to see you.

Usage notes

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Sometimes, people give sarcastic responses to this question, such as "the sky" or "the ceiling" (or anything that is above the speaker).

Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Gary Martin (1997–) “What's up”, in The Phrase Finder.