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Aedilis Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Who wants to know?
Hello.
I'm confused with this simple expression: "who wants to know?"
At first I thought the speaker literally wants to know who is asking. So it can be altered to "Identify yourself first."
But, one of my friends-who is not native either-said it means nobody wants to know.
Now both seem plausible. Would you tell me which one is right?
Thank you for reading my post
I'm confused with this simple expression: "who wants to know?"
At first I thought the speaker literally wants to know who is asking. So it can be altered to "Identify yourself first."
But, one of my friends-who is not native either-said it means nobody wants to know.
Now both seem plausible. Would you tell me which one is right?
Thank you for reading my post
Top answer
". This can be used without any connotations beyond what it actually says, or colloquially it can be used to stall or avoid answering a question when you're not sure of the motives of the person asking, or don't know who they are (in which case, depending on the tone of voice, it may not be terribly polite). It can also be used when information is available or being offered, and you're asking who is interested in knowing that information.
- ".
- This can be used without any connotations beyond what it actually says, or colloquially it can be used to stall or avoid answering a question when you're not sure of the motives of the person asking, or don't know who they are (in which case, depending on the tone of voice, it may not be terribly polite).
- It can also be used when information is available or being offered, and you're asking who is interested in knowing that information.
- There may be an implication that probably no one wants to know, or it may be neutral, or it may even imply that the listener probably would want to know.
- It all depends on context.
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4 Answers
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"Who wants to know?" can be used in two different ways:
It can mean "Who's asking this question?". This can be used without any connotations beyond what it actually says, or colloquially it can be used to stall or avoid answering a question when you're not sure of the motives of the person asking, or don't know who they are (in which case, depending on the tone of voice, it may not be te
It can mean "Who's asking this question?". This can be used without any connotations beyond what it actually says, or colloquially it can be used to stall or avoid answering a question when you're not sure of the motives of the person asking, or don't know who they are (in which case, depending on the tone of voice, it may not be te
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Mr. Wordy has just about covered it, but I'm not sure whether or not the "extremely" rude meaning is included, it which case the speaker knows full well that the questioner wants to know, and may have legitimate reasons for wanting to know. But the speaker has personal reasons for not wanting to reveal the information to the questioner. It's just another way of saying "F*** off!"
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AvangiMr. Wordy has just about covered it, but I'm not sure whether or not the "extremely" rude meaning is included
Yes, perhaps my "not terribly polite" was a little coy...!
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How insightful!
Perhaps I should never use this expression myself then.
Thank you Mr Wordy and Avangi.
Perhaps I should never use this expression myself then.
Thank you Mr Wordy and Avangi.
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