What's with the + noun?

Phrase of the day

Discover a new phrase each day to use in your English! These are special phrases and sayings that English speakers use all the time, but you don't often see these phrases in English course books or other study material. Visit daily to learn some popular English phrases on a regular basis.

28 August 2026

What's with the + noun?

We use this expression to ask for an explanation for something we can see.

Written: No

Spoken: Yes

Formal: No

Informal: Yes

Example 1

Hey. What's with the sad expression? Is something wrong?

I've just had bad news from home.

Oh. I'm sorry.

Example 2

What's with the boring music? No-one's going to dance to this!

OK. You can be the DJ, then.

Find more phrases