goodness\ knows

goodness\ knows
• God knows
• goodness knows
• heaven knows
• heaven (only) knows
• Lord knows
informal
1. Maybe God knows but I don't know and no one else knows.
- Often used with "only".

Do you know where Susan is? God only knows!

2. Surely; certainly.

Goodness knows, the poor man needs the money.

Heaven only knows, I have tried hard enough.


Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • goodness knows — ► God (or goodness or heaven) knows I have no idea. Main Entry: ↑know …   English terms dictionary

  • goodness knows — no one knows, only God knows …   English contemporary dictionary

  • goodness knows — See: GOD KNOWS …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • goodness knows — See: GOD KNOWS …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Goodness knows — …   Useful english dictionary

  • goodness — good|ness S2 [ˈgudnıs] n [U] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1 my goodness!/goodness (gracious) me! 2 for goodness sake 3 goodness (only) knows 4¦(being good)¦ 5¦(best part)¦ 6 have the goodness to do something 7 out of the goodness of somebody s heart ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1.) …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • goodness — /ˈgʊdnəs / (say goodnuhs) noun 1. moral excellence; virtue. 2. kindly feeling; kindness; generosity. 3. excellence of quality: goodness of workmanship. 4. the best part of anything; essence; strength. 5. (used in various exclamatory or emphatic… …  

  • goodness — n. & int. n. 1 virtue; excellence, esp. moral. 2 kindness, generosity (had the goodness to wait). 3 what is good or beneficial in a thing (vegetables with all the goodness boiled out). int. (as a substitution for God ) expressing surprise, anger …   Useful english dictionary

  • goodness — noun Date: before 12th century 1. the quality or state of being good 2. used interjectionally or in phrases especially to express mild surprise or shock < oh, my goodness ! > < goodness knows > 3. the nutritious, flavorful, or beneficial part of… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • goodness (only) knows — phrase used for emphasizing what you say, especially when you do not know something Goodness only knows why she didn’t ask us for help! Thesaurus: ways of saying that you do not know or understandsynonym Main entry: goodness …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”