What's it mean?

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Dare I ask" means "should I even try to ask in fear of the answer?" Or "do I really want to know?" It implies that the answer may be what they expect, or that it will be information the person prefers not to know if it's too wild or too much. Here, it appears as if Enola's brother is questioning if he should ask why Enola was hiding in a wall, cause it could be an answer he doesn't want or isn't bothered to know about. Ex: Dare I ask why you were out so late? Ex: A: The kids took the car out for the day. B: Dare I ask?

How do native speakers use this expression?

Share this post

Popular Q&As

12/13

1
Why does he say "a shop", not "this shop"?
He says "a shop" here instead of "this shop" because he is speaking generally. Even though he is referring to the guy closing up this specific shop, he is speaking generally towards the situation of someone closing up a shop in general.

2
Does "yak something down" mean "vomit something"? What does it mean exactly?
You are correct. To "yak" is a slang expression meaning to vomit, puke, or throw up. In this context, the speaker has used it to say that someone puked/vomited all down the produce aisle. Ex: Peter got food poisoning and yakked all over the table. Ex: She smelt something unpleasant and immediately started yakking.

3
What's the difference between "tug" and "pull"?
"Tug" and "pull" are very similar and often interchangeable, however there is a slight difference in nuance. To "tug" usually means to gently pull on something, or pull very softly. To "pull" is usually a little bit stronger and refers to using more strength to pull something. Ex: The dog is tugging on the rope. Ex: The horses pull the sleigh.

4
How many does "two-two pieces" indicate?
Rachel is making a joke here! The girl is wearing a ballerina tutu, which is pronounced like "two-two." Thus, she says "two-two pieces of candy" as a reference to her costume! Ex: Her ballerina tutu was pink. Ex: Is that a tutu you're wearing?

5
Why is it so important to be the one who announces the heist?
Great question! In the show, the "heist" is a very significant Halloween tradition for them. Due to its significance and having won the heist before, they each think it's their rightful place to announce the heist. I also think announcing the heist is a kind of preemptive action and hope that they'll win the heist. It shows that the competition has already begun before it's even started and that they're all really competitive!

Complete the expression with a quiz!