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Etymology Journal ยท W

Well, don't that beat all?

Meaning

Used to express deep frustration, wonder, or annoyance at a situation. It implies that the current event is the peak of absurdity.

Grumpy, bewildered

Used in a sentence

  • Well, don't that beat all? My car keys were in the fridge.
  • They canceled the event because it was too sunny? Well, don't that beat all.
  • Well, don't that beat all, he bought the exact same shirt as me.

The backstory

This is an idiomatic way to say that something has 'beaten' or surpassed all previous records of silliness. It has been a staple of rural speech for generations.

Heard in

Midwest

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