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Have you ever heard someone say, “What’s eating you?” when they notice that something is bothering you? This common idiom is used to ask what is causing someone to feel upset or anxious. It can be a way to show concern for someone and start a conversation about their feelings.
- Understanding "what's eating" Idiom: Meaning, Origins & Usage ...
The idiom “what’s eating” is typically used as a question to...
- Understanding "what's eating" Idiom: Meaning, Origins & Usage ...
what's eating you. Also, what's bugging you. What is annoying or bothering you? For example, We've conceded just about every point, so what's eating you now? or You're in a terrible mood-what's bugging you?
The phrase was invented by Kenko Yoshida (1283 -1352) who was once a high official of the Emperor’s Court, and descended to a hermit after losing the court’s internal conflict. The phrase appears in his famous essay, 徒膳草- Tsurezuregusa （Essays in Idleness）.
- It's a common (informal) turn of phrase, but I wouldn't call it an interjection. As OP suspects, it's an interrogative sentence. As Tolerance72's r...
- I believe the question mark in your Ngram search interfered with your results. See here for the answer you were seeking. Interestingly, it appears...
- I have heard it several times, I think broadly represented in UK/US/AU, though I couldn't be 100% sure on that. Generally inquisitative more than i...
The idiom “what’s eating” is typically used as a question to inquire about someone’s emotional state or behavior. For example: – What’s eating John? He seems upset today. – I don’t know what’s been eating her lately; she hasn’t been herself. – You seem distracted lately – what’s been eating at you?
Definition of what is eating you in the Idioms Dictionary. what is eating you phrase. What does what is eating you expression mean? Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary.
For example, We've conceded just about every point, so what's eating you now? or You're in a terrible mood—what's bugging you? The first slangy term, dating from the late 1800s, presumably uses eat in the sense of “consume”; the colloquial variant, from about 1940, uses bug in the sense of “annoy.”
Jun 2, 2024 · what 's eating you. ( idiomatic) What is annoying or bothering you? You're in a bad mood today. What's eating you? Translations. [ edit] what is bothering you? Categories: English terms with audio links. English lemmas. English interjections. English multiword terms. English idioms. English terms with usage examples.
