Etymology

what does it all mean, Basil

Today it means: Used (often sarcastically) to express confusion in relation to a seemingly absurd or complicated situation; often followed by an explanation. Full definition →

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The story

Referencing a scene from the American spy comedy film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), in which British spy Austin Powers (Mike Myers) asks his controller, Basil Exposition (Michael York), for clarification about the meaning of a clue as to the location of Dr. Evil's lair.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.