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 sarcastic little comeback for when someone tells you something painfully predictable or totally unsurprising. You use it to say yeah, obviously, that's standard behaviour at this point. It usually comes with an eye roll, a sigh, or both. Not always mean, but definitely a bit cheeky when the same old nonsense keeps happening.
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."
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.
Editors of this term
Your vote counts
Is this real street talk or have we lost the plot? Cast your vote.