Idiom idiom
quelle surprise
Meaning
What a surprise.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He forgot his keys again, quelle surprise.”
“The train is delayed for the third time this week, quelle surprise.”
“When the politician broke his campaign promise yet again, the cynical voters merely sighed, quelle surprise.”
Origin
Borrowed from the French *quelle surprise*, literally "what a surprise." The expression entered English usage as a loanphrase, retained in its original form to convey a specific tone of weary irony regarding an outcome that was, in fact, entirely expected.
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Last updated August 10, 2026