Idiom
I hardly know her
Meaning
A joking retort that draws attention to the possibility of sexual innuendo when a word ends with a schwar.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“When he said he liked her dress, I joked, I hardly know her!”
“He says, "I hardly know her!" every time someone mentions the word dinner.”
“My friend mentioned he was really enjoying the new manager, and I couldn't resist saying, I hardly know her!”
“After the waiter asked if I wanted more butter for my bread, my brother immediately shouted, "Butter? I hardly know her!"”
“When the teacher started talking about the planet Jupiter, a student in the back row whispered, "Jupiter? I hardly know her!"”
“The comedian relied on the classic I hardly know her retort whenever a word ending in a similar sound provided an opening for a crude joke.”
Examples
simple
“When he said he liked her dress, I joked, I hardly know her!”
“He says, "I hardly know her!" every time someone mentions the word dinner.”
contextual
“My friend mentioned he was really enjoying the new manager, and I couldn't resist saying, I hardly know her!”
“After the waiter asked if I wanted more butter for my bread, my brother immediately shouted, "Butter? I hardly know her!"”
“When the teacher started talking about the planet Jupiter, a student in the back row whispered, "Jupiter? I hardly know her!"”
complex
“The comedian relied on the classic I hardly know her retort whenever a word ending in a similar sound provided an opening for a crude joke.”
Origin
The term arises from the phonological coincidence of the English suffix -er or -or, pronounced /əɹ/, with the phrase "her" used as a direct object. It functions as a pun on the preceding noun, treating the word as a transitive verb directed at a woman with whom the speaker claims a lack of prior acquaintance.
Key words
Related idioms
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