The Archive

Etymology Journal · W

Well, knock me over with a feather!

Meaning

Used to express that something is so surprising it could cause you to collapse from shock. The image of a giant man being toppled by a soft feather is inherently funny.

Dramatic, playful

Used in a sentence

  • Well, knock me over with a feather, you actually quit your job.
  • Well, knock me over with a feather, look at how big the garden grew.
  • You came back early? Well, knock me over with a feather.

The backstory

An old idiomatic expression of profound weakness caused by shock. It has appeared in various forms of English literature for centuries.

Heard in

Nationwide

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