Why on Earth would we want to do this?!
Hello,

I ran into an interesting expression that has 'on Earth'. I guess that 'on Earth' would stress out something, I don't know what it is for. Can anybody please answer why people put 'on Earth' in their sentence and what it exactly means?

Thanks!

Question

Why on Earth would we want to do this?!
Hello,

I ran into an interesting expression that has 'on Earth'. I guess that 'on Earth' would stress out something, I don't know what it is for. Can anybody please answer why people put 'on Earth' in their sentence and what it exactly means?

Thanks!

Answer

Hello Taehyun, 
So to put it in one word: "On earth" is another way (good way) to say "the F*** "
Example: What on earth is going on in here ? ==> What the F*** is going on in here. 
:P

Answer

It's a great question. I don't know the answer. It "just is."

It is possible that "on Earth" is a way of saying "everywhere" or "totally." "The greatest show on Earth" simply means "the greatest show there is." Perhaps "I can think of no reason on Earth why..." could mean "I can think of absolutely no reason at all, under any circumstances, no matter how extreme or unusual." Then "why on Earth" could mean "I challenge you to give any any reason at all."

Answer

It is just a meaningless expression that adds emphasis. "I have no idea why on earth they would do that" means loosely "I really do not understand that action". Basically it is emphasizing the illogical nature of the activity being discussed.

Answers · 4

Still haven’t found your answers?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!