Meanings
phrase
alternative go fig
- Expresses perplexity, puzzlement, or surprise (as if telling somebody to try to make sense of the situation).
The car wouldn't start yesterday no matter what I did, but today it works just fine. Go figure.
1 more example
It’s hard for some of us to look at a vicious flogger or a set of restraints used to hang someone upside-down and think of them as toys but kinky people do. Go figure.
2005, Annabelle du Fouet, “Toys for kinky girls and boys—It’s not just whips and chains anymore.” (chapter 3), in Weather Balloons Make Rotten Sex Toys, Ellora's Cave, →ISBN, page 52
Origin
- Yiddishגיי װייס
- Englishgo figure
Calque of Yiddish גיי װייס (gey veys).
More words from Yiddish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech včil mudruj, no chápete to
- včil mudrujexpression of perplexity or surprise
- no chápete toexpression of perplexity or surprise
- to mi hlava nebereexpression of perplexity or surprise
Dutch kun je nagaan
- kun je nagaanexpression of perplexity or surprise
Finnish mene ja tiedä, mene tiedä
- mene ja tiedäexpression of perplexity or surprise
- mene tiedäexpression of perplexity or surprise
- ota siitä sitten selvääexpression of perplexity or surprise
- ota siitä nyt selvääexpression of perplexity or surprise
- otapa siitä sitten selvääexpression of perplexity or surprise
- otapa siitä nyt selvääexpression of perplexity or surprise
French va savoir pourquoi, va savoir
- va savoir pourquoiexpression of perplexity or surprise
- va savoirexpression of perplexity or surprise
- va comprendreexpression of perplexity or surprise
German stell dir vor
- stell dir vorexpression of perplexity or surprise
Greek τρέχα γύρευε
- τρέχα γύρευε (trécha gýreve)expression of perplexity or surprise
Hebrew לך תדע
- לך תדע (lekh tedá)expression of perplexity or surprise
Hungarian ezt add össze, erre varrjál gombot
- ezt add összeexpression of perplexity or surprise
- erre varrjál gombotexpression of perplexity or surprise
- ezt kapd kiexpression of perplexity or surprise
Italian vai a capire
- vai a capireexpression of perplexity or surprise
Norwegian skulle du ha sett, rare greier
- skulle du ha settexpression of perplexity or surprise
- rare greierexpression of perplexity or surprise
- det hadde jeg ikke troddexpression of perplexity or surprise
- forklarexpression of perplexity or surprise
Polish i bądź tu mądry
- i bądź tu mądryexpression of perplexity or surprise
Portuguese vai entender
- vai entenderexpression of perplexity or surprise
Russian пойди́ разбери́, пойди́ знай
- пойди́ разбери́ (pojdí razberí)expression of perplexity or surprise
- пойди́ знай (pojdí znaj)expression of perplexity or surprise
Spanish quién lo hubiese imaginado, imaginate
- quién lo hubiese imaginadoexpression of perplexity or surprise
- imaginateexpression of perplexity or surprise
- imagináteloexpression of perplexity or surprise
Cite this entry
APA
go figure. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20figure
MLA
“go figure.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20figure. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “go figure,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20figure.
Source: go figure on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.