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Sitifan Posted 16 years ago
Vocabulary

Why, certainly!

John: Greg, will you please pass this note to Shelly?
Greg: Why, certainly! Heh, heh.

What does "why, certainly" mean?

  

Top answer

It seems that Greg, while answering John for the first time, says 'why' in a playful manner. However, having said that, he quickly says "Certainly", which is on a serious note, meaning that Greg would pass on the note to Shelly.

— Karansardana

  • It seems that Greg, while answering John for the first time, says 'why' in a playful manner.
  • However, having said that, he quickly says "Certainly", which is on a serious note, meaning that Greg would pass on the note to Shelly.
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5 Answers
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It seems that Greg, while answering John for the first time, says 'why' in a playful manner. However, having said that, he quickly says "Certainly", which is on a serious note, meaning that Greg would pass on the note to Shelly.
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It doesn't necessarily mean that Greg started to ask "why?" and then changed his reply to "certainly." "Why" in this context is just a filler word -- it adds no meaning.
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I don't disagree with you; however, I'm curious to know more.

If 'Why' was just a filler then why would Greg say "heh heh" ?

"Heh heh" suggested to me that Greg is trying to be playful, a little.
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The reason for the "heh heh" is unclear -- maybe Greg is planning to trick John by doing something else with the note. Maybe Greg thinks that John is trying to play a trick on Shelly, and wants to be part of it. But I think "why, certainly" is just an enthusiastic way of saying "yes."
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Why, yes, I quite agree with khoff.
(I also don't understand why he laughed when he said it.)
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