PEEVE ››
"What can I do you for?"
When someone says this, what does it mean? Why do people say this?
— Dene from Calgary, Alberta Canada | Language | 8.13.2010 | Comments (7)
COMMENTS ››
um...well, usually, dene, it's said by people in the service industry. you approach a salesperson, they ask, "what can i do for you." you call a customer service line, they ask, "what can i do for you." see, the thing is, they're there to do things for you, but they need to know what thing it is you'd like them to do.
— yiannis
I think Dene is specifically referring to the reversal of the last two words of the statement. My belief is that it makes it more coloquial and therefore more friendly. I still don't like it because it seems contrived.
— Biffy
I think people say this because reversing the last two words changes the meaning of the phrase from "How can I help you?" to "How can I screw you?" Thus implying that the speaker and listener are both sly devils. I had no idea people in Calgary said this.
— Stuart
oooooh. thanks for pointing that out, biffy. that makes all the difference in the world and now i'm on board. when people say it that way, it makes them sound like a yokel AND it forces the sentence to end with a preposition.
— yiannis
Yeah, I wish a really nice looking babe would come up an ask me. I would be like, "Umm.....for free?"
— Trentdaddy
It always did sound like a proposition to me
— xi posted 12/29/2011
POST a COMMENT x››
