student asking question

In what situations is the phrase "what the he?" used?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Here, "what the he" substitutes the exclamation "what the hell"! "What the he" is <not> a common saying. I believe they censored the word "hell" to be child-appropriate, since "what the hell" can be considered offensive or rude as an exclamation. You can use "what the hell" when surprised or angry. Alternatively, you can say it when you decide to do something, even if you have doubts about doing it. Ex: What the hell?! Jake never told me he was leaving. Ex: Oh, what the hell. Let's go on a road trip!

Popular Q&As

11/24

Complete the expression with a quiz!