you’ve got to be kidding
you’ve got to be kidding (idiom)
/juːv ɡɒt tə biː ˈkɪdɪŋ/
Meanings
- To express disbelief or surprise at something that seems unbelievable.
- To express frustration or irritation when something goes wrong or seems unfair.
- It implies that something that someone said is a joke.
- It is used to imply that something that someone has said cannot be true.
Synonyms: you’re joking; you must be kidding; no way; I can’t believe it; you’re pulling my leg; you’re having me on
Example Sentences
- You’ve got to be kidding. There’s no way he finished that project in one day.
- You’ve got to be kidding me! I can’t believe she said that.
- You’re kidding me, right? This can’t be true.
- You must be kidding. That idea is completely impractical.
- You’re joking. There’s no way he passed the exam without studying.
Origin and History
The idiomatic expression “you’ve got to be kidding” serves as a colloquial exclamation of disbelief, surprise, or exasperation, often implying that a statement or situation is too absurd to be true. Rooted in informal English slang, it conveys skepticism or incredulity, functioning similarly to phrases like “you must be joking” or “no way.” This idiom has become ubiquitous in modern conversational English, reflecting a blend of humor and dismissal, and its usage spans various contexts from casual dialogue to media representations.
Etymology of “Kid”
The etymology of the key verb “to kid,” meaning to tease or deceive playfully, traces back to the noun “kid,” which originally denoted a young goat in the 13th century, derived from Old Norse “kið.” By the late 16th century, “kid” had extended metaphorically to refer to a human child in slang. This semantic shift facilitated the verb form, where “to kid” implied treating someone as a child—coaxing, wheedling, or hoaxing them—emerging in thieves’ cant around 1811. Over time, the connotation softened from deception to light-hearted teasing by the mid-19th century.
Evolution of the Phrase
The evolution of “kidding” into an idiomatic expression of disbelief occurred gradually during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Early usages of “kidding” in the sense of joking or not being serious appear in mid-19th-century texts, where it denoted playful deception. By the early 20th century, related phrases like “no kidding,” meaning “that’s the truth” or emphasizing sincerity, had entered slang, marking a transition to expressions of surprise or denial. The full phrase “you’ve got to be kidding” likely solidified in the mid-20th century, influenced by American popular culture, though precursors like “are you kidding me” appeared earlier.
Country of Origin
The country of origin for the idiom is the United Kingdom, where the verb “to kid” first emerged in documented English slang. Thieves’ cant, a form of British underworld jargon, provides the earliest attestations of “kid” as a verb for hoaxing or coaxing. Subsequent 19th-century examples in British publications reinforce this British foundation, though the phrase gained prominence and idiomatic specificity in American English during the 20th century.
Earliest Printed Records
The earliest printed record of “kidding” in a teasing or joking sense dates to 1811, in lexical compilations of thieves’ cant, where it meant “to coax or wheedle.” A more contextual example appears in 1843, in a periodical account of a courtroom exchange where a prosecutor states that a policeman “was kidding him on,” implying playful teasing. For variants closer to the modern idiom, “no kidding” is recorded in 1914 as an affirmation of truth, while phrases like “are you kidding me” emerge around the same period in informal dialogues.
Theories of Origin
Several theories exist regarding the origins of the idiom. The predominant belief posits that it derives from treating someone “as a kid,” or child, evolving from coaxing to playful deception and eventually to expressions of incredulity. Another perspective links it to early 19th-century slang for hoaxing in criminal contexts, where “kidding” involved diverting attention for deceit, later softening into non-serious banter. Some suggest influences from childish playfulness, equating joking with immature behavior, though this remains speculative. No evidence supports connections to the animal “kid” beyond the initial noun etymology, and alternative folk etymologies, such as ties to goat-related folklore, lack substantiation.
Variants
- you’ve got to be kidding me
- you’re kidding me
- you must be kidding
- you’ve gotta be kidding
- you’re joking
Similar Idioms
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