What exactly does "gobsmacked" mean?

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eh?

― Doogie Howitzer, Wednesday, 31 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ok, I'm not even English, but I'm gonna say literally it means "hit with a spitball". Figuratively it means "shocked".

Right?

― Sean, Wednesday, 31 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

suprised, shocked

― Graham, Wednesday, 31 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Literally it would mean "smacked in the gob" i.e. punched in the mouth, I think.

― Tom, Wednesday, 31 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, at least I got part of it right.

― Sean, Wednesday, 31 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I R saying it is wot R going to happen to Chris!

I R also pointing out this thread could be solved with a dictionary and/or thesaurus and hence is still not hoighbrow enough for ILE!

― I R fatnick, Wednesday, 31 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Will you shut up with this 'high brow' shit. Did anyone complain about you being not high-brow enough? It's just the I R this I T that schtick that was driving me demented anyway.

― Nick, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

me too, if you've got a persecution complex Nick then think about why people were gettiing pissed off at you, the dawn of realisation may well prove enlightening.

back to the subject, it's times like this that I wish I had my dictionary of slang, that knows all, but yeah, it generally nmeans shocked, probably from the look on your face when surprised, i.e. jaw hanging, eyes wide open, almost as if smacked in the gob.

― chris, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

but smacked as in open palm, not smacked as in closed fist: ie NOT punched in the mouth

the bloke who has Tangoed was gobsmacked (even tho the Tango goblin actually boxed his ears!)

((before political correctness went mad, anyway))

― mark s, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

on the subject of that does anyone know where the two phrases wet slap and dry slap come from? Meaning open plam or back of hand, I had this explained to me the other week (but not where it comes from lamentably) and was intrigued but can find nothing on it.

― chris, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I thought "wet slap" referred to something Monty Python did involving a fish...

― Kodanshi, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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