Idiom
pray tell
Meaning
Expressing incredulity, please explain (some claim or position the speaker doubts).
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“You think he is telling the truth, pray tell?”
“If you really believe that this project will finish on time, pray tell, how will you manage the budget?”
“If you truly intend to abandon your responsibilities at such a critical juncture, pray tell, what do you expect the outcome to be?”
Examples
simple
“You think he is telling the truth, pray tell?”
contextual
“If you really believe that this project will finish on time, pray tell, how will you manage the budget?”
complex
“If you truly intend to abandon your responsibilities at such a critical juncture, pray tell, what do you expect the outcome to be?”
Origin
From *pray* (to ask politely) + *tell* (to explain). This imperative construction formed as a request for information.
Key words
Related idioms
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