I don’t know precisely when the phrase “wait, what?” sidled into the mainstream. It appeared in a terse LOLCAT image (Dude. Wait, what?) a while back, but lately I’ve been hearing it said by people who wouldn’t know a LOLCAT if it peed on their shoes. No matter. It’s a great phrase, and I welcome it.  It’s the appropriate response to anything that triggers incredulity, and it’s what I said the first time this image appeared on my screen.

Of course, the trigger doesn’t have to be visual. I find myself thinking “wait, what?” — if not saying it out loud — when reading, hearing, or watching almost anything that involves politics.

What were some of your “Wait, what?” moments?

Incredulous: Unable to believe something. First used in the 16th century. From the Latin incredulus (in = not; credulus = trusting, or believing).