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Lindsay McMahon
This is the All Ears English podcast. Sarcasm and surprise. Welcome to the All Ears English podcast. Downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Colorado and New York City, usa. To get real time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the All Ears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com forward/app.
Michelle Kaplan
Today, we answer a listener question about the phrase you don't say. How can you use this and other ways to show surprise both genuinely and in a sarcastic way? Do you know your English level? Knowledge is power, as they say, and knowing your English level is the first step to actually reach your goals. Take our free 2 minute specialized quiz to discover where you're at now and get custom tips for how to reach the next level. Go to allearsenglish.comfluencyscore Answer eight questions and get your results immediately. Go now to allearsenglish.comfluencyScore.
Lindsay McMahon
Hello, Michelle. How are you today?
Michelle Kaplan
I'm good, Lindsay, how are you doing?
Lindsay McMahon
Good.
Michelle Kaplan
Good.
Lindsay McMahon
Michelle, has anyone surprised you recently with something they've said?
Michelle Kaplan
I feel like we both probably are thinking of something similar, but yeah, there. I mean, like, there are some news stories where people have surprised me. Yeah. Yeah. But, yeah, I would say that's the first thing that comes to mind. How about you?
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah, maybe politics.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah.
Lindsay McMahon
A never ending surprise. Yeah. But nothing else really comes to mind. But certainly this happens for our listeners. We're all in this moment. Sometimes the question is, you know, what do we say? How do we react? And we have a great listener question which was insp. The inspiration for today's episode from Sophia.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah. Yes. Sophia asks awesome questions. Thank you, Sophia. We love you. Really?
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah. For sure. For sure. And she's a listener over there on YouTube. So check out YouTube. Check out Allers English over on YouTube if you didn't know we have a channel. We do. You can leave comments, you can subscribe, and you can see us on video, which is another way to consume the show. I'm gonna go ahead and read Sophia's question. All right.
Michelle Kaplan
Okay. All right, here we go.
Lindsay McMahon
So she says, hey, I'm Sophia. I love starting my morning with coffee and your podcast. Oh, Michelle, that is so nice.
Michelle Kaplan
Thank you.
Lindsay McMahon
I've heard people say, you don't say, but I'm Totally. I'm not totally sure how to use it. Does it always express surprise or can it mean something else too? I'd love some examples. Thank you for your answer. Excellent question, Sophia.
Michelle Kaplan
Another great one, Sophia. Love it. So let's get into it. What does it mean when someone says you don't say. Yeah.
Lindsay McMahon
You don't say. So basically it expresses surprise. Sophia was right in. What her hunch is here is that it expresses surprise. It's kind of like saying, wow, really? And maybe you're impressed with something, but you're expressing that you are surprised. I personally don't really use this that much. Michelle, do you use this one? This expression?
Michelle Kaplan
I don't think so. I think it is maybe a little bit old fashioned.
Lindsay McMahon
Dated. Yeah.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah, a little bit. Yeah. However, I do want to point something out. Do we. If you are going to say it, do people usually say. You don't say. It's usually you don't.
Lindsay McMahon
You don't. Yeah, we never say connected speech here. Right. You don't say. Right. You don't say.
Michelle Kaplan
You know, say.
Lindsay McMahon
You want to connect that. Totally.
Michelle Kaplan
Exactly. So before we get into some examples, we also want to say thank you to Dan B303.
Lindsay McMahon
Yes. We have an amazing listener who reviewed our podcast in the app, the iOS app. So huge. Thank you to Dan B303. Thank you for your amazing five star review. I'm actually going to send this to the team right away. Thank you, Danby. And guys, if you want to let us know what you think of the show, leave us a review. We love seeing these reviews. It keeps us going for you here at Allers English. So review the show. All right.
Michelle Kaplan
All right, Perfect. Thank you, Denby. So let's do some examples. We have some little role plays. Here we go.
Lindsay McMahon
All right.
Michelle Kaplan
I ran four miles yesterday.
Lindsay McMahon
You don't say. I thought you hated running.
Michelle Kaplan
I do, but I do it every once in a while. All right.
Lindsay McMahon
Is that true, Michelle? Four months?
Michelle Kaplan
Absolutely not. No way.
Lindsay McMahon
I love it. Here's the next one. I just got back from the mall.
Michelle Kaplan
Oh, you don't say. I was there too.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah, I'm rarely found at the mall. Only if I have to be there, to be honest. Only if I have to be there.
Michelle Kaplan
That's funny. I actually, on a cold day, I like to go to the mall. Like I don't, I don't, I don't go there when it's nice outside. I'm not gonna go sit in the mall. But when it's cold and I still want to move around and walk and.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah.
Michelle Kaplan
You know, just kind.
Lindsay McMahon
I don't know.
Michelle Kaplan
There's something nostalgic about them all.
Lindsay McMahon
I like there is absolutely something to say. It reminds me of being a teenager in the 90s.
Michelle Kaplan
You get dropped off for the first time, you know, by your parents. Oh, my gosh.
Lindsay McMahon
No, that never happened to me because I lived in the middle of nowhere. So malls for me were actually an adventure with my mom. So she came with me. We shopped together. I never had the I want to meet my friends at the mall thing because, oh, my town was so isolated. There was no mall. There was no real mall. There was like, kind of a mill. But, yeah, it wasn't the same as your typical commercial mall. Yeah, I missed that.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah, I had. It was Lake Forest Mall. And yeah, it was always so. I mean, I loved going with my parents, too. I loved going shopping with my mom and. Yeah. With my. With it. But it was very much, oh, let's go to. Let's everybody meet at the mall. And we go to the food court at the mall.
Lindsay McMahon
And I. I think I. I think a great movie for our listeners to check out to get the sense of this 90s consumer culture and teenager culture. Right. Would be Clueless. Clueless is always on tv, and it's a fantastic movie just to get a glimpse into 1990s California teenager culture, mall culture. So check that out, guys.
Michelle Kaplan
Classic. All right. Okay. So, Lindsay, would you say this is mostly. When you say. You don't say. Would you say it's mostly for positive surprises or also negatives?
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah, I would say. Yeah, if someone says something really bad. I would definitely not. Not if someone's family member died. I would never say. You don't say. No, no, this is not. It's not for that even, you know, anything. Anything. It's for positive things. Things are maybe a little surprising, and they're positive, but they're not a huge deal either. Like, if you say, oh, I won the lottery, you don't say. It's a little. I would say, oh, my gosh. Are you serious? That's amazing. What are you gonna do? I wouldn't say. You don't say.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah, it's kind of like. You don't say. It's kind of like, oh, that's interesting.
Lindsay McMahon
Right?
Michelle Kaplan
That idea.
Lindsay McMahon
Exactly, Exactly.
Michelle Kaplan
However, I do want to talk about one other similar. I mean, well, a little bit different way that we do use. You don't say. So this one would be. It's also expressing surprise, but it might be a little bit more sarcastic. Let's do. Let's do this role play and then we'll talk about how, like, how it sounds.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah, we love sarcasm. Here we go. Oh, no, buddy ate another shoe.
Michelle Kaplan
You don't say, I told you to put them away.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah. So that we've said earlier that this idiom in the, in the non sarcastic sense, in the genuine sense, might be a little dated. And I agree with that. 80s 90s. Right. But if you use it sarcastically, maybe it's even more relevant right now. Okay.
Michelle Kaplan
Right. So this is. This is basically saying, like, oh, really? I knew that was gonna happen. Like, almost maybe, maybe kind of like, I told you so.
Lindsay McMahon
Right, I told you so. Exactly, Exactly. Let's try another so our listeners can get the vibe.
Michelle Kaplan
Okay. Oh, I feel terrible after that meal.
Lindsay McMahon
You don't say McDonald's isn't healthy. Yeah, I'm being really.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah.
Lindsay McMahon
And I could see myself saying this like, well, you ate McDonald's. What do you expect? You know, that's essentially what you're saying. Right, Right.
Michelle Kaplan
So this is just another way that you can use it.
Lindsay McMahon
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Michelle Kaplan
Right, well, so we've given you kind of two ways. A more sarcastic way and a more genuine way that this is used. And so first of all, Lindsay, I to ask you which way you would hear it most? It sounds like you think that the more sarcastic way is more relevant to now. And maybe the other one is more dated. Right.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah. I watched this great show, which our listeners would love this if you're studying language and history. The show called Ghost Ghosts. I. I've mentioned this before, but what it is, it's a story of this old mansion in upstate New York and there are all these ghosts that died in the house at different times throughout history. Like there's a Viking. There's someone from the 1800s, like a wife of robber baron. There is a singer from like the blues ages, like the 20s. Yeah. And anyways, there's a guy from the 80s and you can. Every line that's written in that show is based on their time of living. So.
Michelle Kaplan
So they speak in a certain way.
Lindsay McMahon
They speak in a certain way. So this guy Pete, he is from the 80s and I could totally say, have him set, hear him saying genuinely, oh, we got tickets for the concert. You don't say. Right.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah.
Lindsay McMahon
Very 80s genuine smiley way. What I'm trying to say is watch that show, number one, to get some references and number two, it is a little dated. So I would use the sarcastic way probably at this point.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah, yeah, I think so. Maybe. I don't know what that says about us as a society.
Lindsay McMahon
I know. What does that say about us?
Michelle Kaplan
We became more sarcastic.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah, good question.
Michelle Kaplan
Let's. But so. But again, you have to think about the context if you're hearing it. What. How is it going to. Like, which way is it being used? So the first one, it's more like, oh, you don't say. And the second one is more, oh, you don't say.
Lindsay McMahon
Right.
Michelle Kaplan
So you have to think about that and think, is this being used more? So in our sarcastic way, Is this person actually genuinely surprised by what I said or are they kind of saying, I told you so, I knew it. Or duh.
Lindsay McMahon
That's. It's so important to pay attention to tone of voice and context. 100. And if we want to get away from you, don't say if we just don't like it for whatever reason, we can say other things.
Michelle Kaplan
Right.
Lindsay McMahon
Michelle? And. And these might be a little more relevant genuinely for, you know, 2025. Like no way. Right. This one is very relevant.
Michelle Kaplan
No way. Yeah. So no way you're coming to visit. Right. And this is.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah, yeah. This one. Do you find yourself using Michelle? I do. I certainly do.
Michelle Kaplan
I think so. Yeah. I. I would say so. This is pretty common.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah, yeah.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah.
Lindsay McMahon
You were gonna say something. I cut you off.
Michelle Kaplan
I was gonna say, would you could also be. I, I was gonna say, is it. Would you hear this one in the sarcastic sense as well? Like the. Oh, no way. Right?
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah, I would. Yes.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think it could be.
Lindsay McMahon
You expected this and you got this, right? That's the cynical, sarcastic way of. Right.
Michelle Kaplan
Yep, yep. What else?
Lindsay McMahon
Get out of here. Oh, isn't this, Isn't there some kind of reference to a movie?
Michelle Kaplan
Get out of here.
Lindsay McMahon
I feel like there's something. There's something there, Michelle, but I don't know there.
Michelle Kaplan
No, no. Well, I always think people also say, wait, hold on, I'm seeing if I can find it. Get out of here. Meme. Let's see.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah.
Michelle Kaplan
Not sure.
Lindsay McMahon
It may have to be a follow up episode. We'll have to.
Michelle Kaplan
Exactly, exactly. It looks like it's in a lot of movies anyway. But also sometimes people just say, get out. Right, get out. And that one to me makes me think of Elaine from Seinfeld because she, if somebody says something surprising, she'll say, get out. And she pushes that person.
Lindsay McMahon
That's so this is. I'm so glad you mentioned the get out, because if our listeners didn't know, they might, you know, we might make the mistake of thinking this person's athlete need to leave. And we turn around and we leave, right? No, we're not being asked to leave. The person is basically shortening the expression get out of here. And she's saying, get out. I hear this more with women for some reason. Maybe it is because of Elaine. I don't know. It feels female.
Michelle Kaplan
Have you heard her say that?
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah, for sure. And it feels like something she would say too.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So here we go. Here's an example. It's raining again. Get out of here. So that is more the. I'm surprised, but I'm also annoyed.
Lindsay McMahon
Right.
Michelle Kaplan
So like, again, it can have that kind of sarcastic tone or it can be more genuine.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah. And I think I almost feel like get out is even more extreme. Like you want tickets to the concert. Get out. Get out. It's like you're almost.
Michelle Kaplan
Pause. Get out.
Lindsay McMahon
It's kind, kind of like you're saying, I don't believe you. Get out of this room. Right. Like, you know, but you're not saying get out. Don't leave the room, guys. Don't leave the room.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah, now, now I'm just imagining. Yeah. Oh, I'm so glad we're going over this. Yeah. So that somebody doesn't just actually walk out.
Lindsay McMahon
Right, Exactly. And I think, you know, this also comes into people's personal vocabulary. You know, like Elaine, some people tend to say this more than others. Right.
Michelle Kaplan
Y.
Lindsay McMahon
Interesting.
Michelle Kaplan
Exactly. Or what's another one, Lindsay?
Lindsay McMahon
Is that so? Right. So, for example, is that so you're leaving tomorrow. Right. So again, this is a way of receiving news that maybe you didn't know and maybe you're a little surprised.
Michelle Kaplan
And this one, I would say, is a little more formal sounding.
Lindsay McMahon
Yes, I agree. Maybe a little older as well. Like, I don't. I don't picture, you know, gen Zers saying this. You know, I don't picture anyone under age 50 maybe saying it. It feels. It feels older to me.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah.
Michelle Kaplan
A little bit older. Or then there's. You guys know this really, Right?
Lindsay McMahon
Really?
Michelle Kaplan
You can't. You can't make it. Really? Yeah. Yeah.
Lindsay McMahon
Which one of these do you tend to use, Michelle?
Michelle Kaplan
I would say no way. Or I mean. Or I mean, there's nothing wrong with just saying really. Yeah, really.
Lindsay McMahon
For me, it's no way. No way.
Michelle Kaplan
No way.
Lindsay McMahon
Could put a lot of tone into that response. Right, Right. Love it. Let's do a role play. All right.
Michelle Kaplan
All right, here we go. We are friends and you are telling me about your trip.
Lindsay McMahon
All right, here we go.
Michelle Kaplan
Okay. So was it amazing?
Lindsay McMahon
Well, I ate my way through all of London.
Michelle Kaplan
Oh, you don't say. I know you're a foodie.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah, I. I think I ate Indian food every single night.
Michelle Kaplan
Is that so? Was it delicious?
Lindsay McMahon
Incredible.
Michelle Kaplan
I haven't eaten Indian food in ages.
Lindsay McMahon
Really? I thought it's your favorite.
Michelle Kaplan
I know. I just haven't had it. I don't know why. I've actually been cooking a lot at home.
Lindsay McMahon
Get out of here. I know. You know or I didn't know you cook.
Michelle Kaplan
I do now. So how was the weather in London?
Lindsay McMahon
Ah, rain. Rain? Rain.
Michelle Kaplan
No way.
Lindsay McMahon
Were you being sarcastic there? No, because we know it rains in London.
Michelle Kaplan
Exactly.
Lindsay McMahon
Although the times I've been to London, it's been beautiful. I'm going again at the end of May, so I will update that you are going for conference. I'm going for a conference and then for a little. Little vacay to travel around Belgium and different parts of Europe. Yeah, should be good.
Michelle Kaplan
Nice. That's where I studied abroad, I think. You know? Yeah.
Lindsay McMahon
You're gonna have to tell me all your haunts. All your haunts?
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah. Michelle, when's the last time you were there? My haunts?
Lindsay McMahon
I haven't been there in a Long, long time. Like 25 years. I don't know.
Michelle Kaplan
Oh, okay. That's a long time. Yeah, I was there a couple years years ago, so I, I, I'll, I'll. Yeah. Maybe I can give you some suggestions.
Lindsay McMahon
Excellent. Looking forward to that. All right, let's go through this, Michelle. So, all right, so I started. What I said, oh, I ate my way through London, meaning I just sampled all the food. All right.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah. That's something common when people talk about their vacations, where they ate a lot, they might say, oh, I ate my way through this place.
Lindsay McMahon
And I highly recommend doing that anytime you travel. I love to do food tours, you know, things like that.
Michelle Kaplan
Me too. Oh, me too.
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah. And I said, you don't say. I know you're a foodie. Now, this is interesting because I'm, Am I using this genu genuinely or sarcastically?
Michelle Kaplan
I don't know if it's like, I don't think it's sarcastic with, like a meanness to it, but kind of it's, I think it's sarcastic in a way of like, oh, I'm not surprised. I know, Exactly.
Lindsay McMahon
That's what I think it is too. So it's not really genuine. You're not telling me something surprising. Right. Because that's what we talked about, the genuine response. There is sarcasm in there, but it's not a cynical sarcasm, it's a positive sarcasm. You don't say, like, I'm not surprised that you ate your way through London. Right, right, right.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah. And then you said, I think I ate Indian food every night. London has some amazing Indian food. And so I said, is that so Was it delicious?
Lindsay McMahon
Yeah. And maybe this one is a little more genuine. Maybe I didn't know that or something, but yeah, a lot of Indian food in London. Right. And then you said, I haven't eaten Indian food in ages. And then I said, what?
Michelle Kaplan
I said, really? I thought it's your favorite. So that's a genuine.
Lindsay McMahon
Exactly. And then you said, I've actually been cooking a lot at home. And, And I said, get out of here. I didn't know you spoke. And I'm sort of saying, oh, you're not telling the truth. You're, you're, you know, I don't believe you.
Michelle Kaplan
Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep. And then when you, I asked about the weather in London, you said, rain, rain will rain. And I said, no way. Like, I, I know, yeah. I'm sarcastic because I know it's common rain to rain in London.
Lindsay McMahon
Yes. I love that this episode has actually been an Exploration in sarcasm, actually. Yeah, that's really interesting. Very cool. So, guys, don't forget to hit the follow button as we finish up today's episode. That is your next assignment. Hit follow on the show so you don't miss our next episodes. Michelle, where should we leave our listeners here?
Michelle Kaplan
Oh, man. Well, this was just. There's a lot to unpack here. There's so much you could do. This is really English being, language being an art form because you can use these. You can sprinkle these in. You can use them genuinely. You can change your tone of voice and totally change the meaning. It can show that you know something really well or someone really well. Oh, you don't say. I know you like to shop something like that. So it can, it can really do a lot. These are, these are pretty versatile and you can have a lot of fun and play with them with your language.
Lindsay McMahon
Yes. Really good stuff. Thank you to Sophia for the question. And guys, send us your question to support allersenglish.com if you have a good one like these specific questions that Sophia is sending in, send it to us. We want to see that question. All right.
Michelle Kaplan
Definitely. All right, Lindsay. Well, this was fun and I'll talk to you on the next one.
Lindsay McMahon
Take care, Michelle. Bye bye. Thanks for listening. To all ears. English. Would you like to know your English love level? Take our two minute quiz, go to allearsenglish.com forward/fluencyscore. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.
All Ears English Podcast: Episode Summary – “Sarcasm and Surprise”
Release Date: April 5, 2025
In this engaging episode of the All Ears English Podcast, hosts Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan delve into the nuanced world of expressing surprise and sarcasm in American English. Titled “Sarcasm and Surprise,” the episode unpacks the versatile phrase “you don’t say” and explores various ways to convey emotions authentically and ironically in everyday conversations.
The episode kicks off with a listener, Sophia, posing an insightful question:
"I’ve heard people say, 'you don't say,' but I'm not totally sure how to use it. Does it always express surprise or can it mean something else too?"
— Sophia [03:12]
Lindsay introduces the topic by affirming that “you don’t say” primarily serves to express surprise, akin to saying “wow, really?” However, Michelle points out that the phrase might come across as somewhat old-fashioned:
“I don't think so. I think it is maybe a little bit old fashioned.”
— Michelle Kaplan [04:00]
The hosts engage in a lively discussion differentiating between genuine surprise and sarcastic undertones:
Genuine Surprise:
When someone shares unexpected but pleasant news, responding with “you don’t say” can express sincere astonishment. For example:
Lindsay: "I just got back from the mall."
Michelle: "Oh, you don't say. I was there too."
— [05:26]
Sarcastic Surprise:
In contrast, the same phrase can carry a sarcastic edge, implying disbelief or mild annoyance:
Lindsay: "I ran four miles yesterday."
Michelle: "You don't say. I thought you hated running."
— [05:08]
Michelle elaborates on the sarcastic use, likening it to saying “I told you so” or “duh” in response to something obvious:
“It's kind of like, 'you don't say.' ... like, I told you so, I knew it.”
— Michelle Kaplan [07:44]
To illustrate the practical application of “you don’t say,” Lindsay and Michelle engage in role-playing scenarios:
Positive Surprise Example:
Lindsay: "I ate my way through all of London."
Michelle: "Oh, you don't say. I know you're a foodie."
— [16:56]
Sarcastic Surprise Example:
Michelle: "It's raining again."
Lindsay: "No way."
— [14:02]
These dialogues highlight how tone of voice and context are crucial in determining the intended meaning behind such phrases.
Beyond “you don’t say,” the hosts explore other expressions that convey surprise:
“No way”:
Often used both genuinely and sarcastically.
Lindsay: "No way you're coming to visit."
Michelle: "No way."
— [13:04]
“Get out of here”:
Typically sarcastic, implying disbelief.
Michelle: "It's raining again."
Lindsay: "Get out of here."
— [15:04]
“Is that so?”:
A more formal and somewhat older expression of surprise.
Lindsay: "Is that so?"
— [15:46]
Michelle cites the character Elaine from Seinfeld as a pop culture reference for the phrase “get out,” demonstrating its colloquial charm.
To provide cultural context, Lindsay recommends watching the movie Clueless for its depiction of 1990s mall culture, connecting it to the phrases discussed:
“Clueless is always on TV, and it's a fantastic movie just to get a glimpse into 1990s California teenager culture, mall culture.”
— Lindsay McMahon [06:22]
Additionally, they reference the TV show Ghost Ghosts to illustrate how language evolves with different eras:
“Every line that's written in that show is based on their time of living... It is a little dated.”
— Lindsay McMahon [11:04]
A significant portion of the discussion emphasizes how tone of voice and context shape the meaning of expressions:
“It's so important to pay attention to tone of voice and context. 100.”
— Lindsay McMahon [12:44]
By varying the delivery, speakers can switch between genuine admiration and playful sarcasm, making their interactions more dynamic and expressive.
Towards the end, the hosts encourage listeners to integrate these expressions into their vocabulary, highlighting their flexibility and fun:
“These are, these are pretty versatile and you can have a lot of fun and play with them with your language.”
— Michelle Kaplan [21:00]
They also invite listeners to submit their own questions, fostering a community-driven learning environment.
This episode serves as an insightful guide for intermediate to advanced English learners aiming to master the subtleties of American English expressions. By dissecting phrases like “you don’t say” and exploring their applications, Lindsay and Michelle empower listeners to communicate more naturally and confidently.
For those eager to deepen their understanding and practice, subscribing to the All Ears English Podcast ensures you stay connected with valuable language tips and cultural insights. Remember, connection not perfection is the key to becoming fearless and fluent in English!