what gives

Questions

What does what gives mean?

What is wrong? Why is this happening?

Where does what gives come from?

First attested in 1940, in John O'Hara's novel Pal Joey. The term is considered by the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, Second Edition (2013) and several other references to be a calque of German “was gibt's?” and/or a Yiddish equivalent. Brian Joseph disputes this, and speculates that despite extremely late attestation, it and the German was gibt's may "allow[] for a reconstruction of a Proto-West-Germanic existential use of 'give', which survives marginally into present usage."

How to pronounce what gives

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “what gives”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “what gives”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “what gives” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.