ENGLISH
REFERENCE

have no idea

fixed phr..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

fixed phr.. to not know something at all; you use this when you are completely unsure about a fact or a situation.

fixed phr.. to be entirely ignorant of a fact or situation; functions as a more emphatic, idiomatic alternative to 'not know'.


SIMPLE

I have no idea where I left my keys.

CONTEXTUAL

The tourists have no idea that the museum is closed on Mondays, so they are waiting outside.

COMPLEX

The researchers admitted they had no idea how the ancient civilization managed to transport such massive stones across the desert.

Usage

often followed by a 'wh-' question word like 'where', 'what', 'why', or 'how'.

Teaching tip

teach this as a chunk to replace 'I don't know'; it is very common in spoken English to show total uncertainty.

Pitfall

I don't have idea.I have no idea.the phrase requires 'no' or 'any' (e.g., 'I don't have any idea') to be grammatically complete.

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