I’ve noticed the phrase “oh wait” being used insincerely/sarcastically, to make a point. For example: “DOW 10,000!!!! Oh Wait, Make That 7,537.”
What is the origin of this sort of usage of “oh wait”?
Origin of insincere “oh wait”
June 27th, 2010 by Dan
2 Responses to “Origin of insincere “oh wait””
Leave a Reply
Teaching English to Preschoolers with iPhones
We (i.e. the creators of Pain in The English) developed a series of iPhone apps to teach preschool kids how to recognize letters and words. (My wife developed the characters and I did the coding.) Our own 4-year old daughter has been enjoying them. They are now available on Apple's App Store. You can search for "bitskis" on your iPhone, or visit the official website at bitskis.com.
If you have kids and own an iPhone, please check it out. It's $2.
There is nothing wrong with saying “oh wait”. It is simply one of those words or phrases commonly used as an expression. In this case, it can be used to signal that you were too quick to make a judgement or statement, and therefore, made an error. Thus, by saying “oh wait”, you are basically saying, “before you make a judgement or fully comprehend what I just said, let me correct myself.” Alternatively, it can be used somewhat sarcastically (or not) to emphasise the absurdity of unnecessary details or accuracy – for example, “she claims I owe her five thousand dollars. Oh wait – four thousand nine hundred and sixty-three dollars.”
I agree, Giselle, especially in an absurd or even unexpected manner. As to the origin, I don’t know if we’ll ever answer that, but that type of clever redirection might be attributable to some old comedian, or simply a common device used by all, and often taken advantage of by many comedians. Something like: “After stepping down from office, George Bush commented that the US lacked strong Republican leadership…Oh wait, he was describing the last eight years he was in office.”