beats me
English
Etymology
A shortening of it beats me
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Phrase
beats me
- (idiomatic, as response or with indirect question) I don't know; I have no idea.
- Do you have any idea what "tergiversate" means? Beats me!
- Beats me how he finds out when we're goofing off.
- 1918, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Land That Time Forgot Chapter IV
- "Flowering shrubs don't thrive in the subterranean caverns from which geysers spring," suggested Bradley. Olson shook his head. "It beats me," he said.
Usage notes
- This expression is nearly always used in the present tense, first person, as given above.
Synonyms
- search me