the dear knows

phrase

God knows; nobody knows

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Meanings

phrase
  1. IrelanddatedGod knows; nobody knows

    And there it sits, spreading rubbish about because of the cats, and smelling like the Dear knows what.

    2004, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, The Dear Departed, page 205
    2 more examples

    O thou, whom poets call Melpomene, Who hast inspir'd, the dear knows how many In ancient times to sing O Dear O's On hapless fates of unknown heroes,

    1806 'Caleb Thistle' "How are the mighty fallen!" in The Evening Fire-side; or Literary Miscellany (Philadelphia; 10 May 1806) Vol.II No.19 p.147

    I know where I’m going, I know who’s going with me, I know who I love, But the dear knows who I’ll marry.

    19th century Anonymous Irish or Scottish ballad, I Know Where I’m Going
  2. IrelanddatedGod knows; of course, certainly, nobody could doubt

    Then she gave a little sigh and said: ‘Ah, well! We did our best, the dear knows.’

    1904–1907 (date written), James Joyce, “A Mother”, in Dubliners, London: Grant Richards, published June 1914, →OCLC, page 173
    1 more example

    The dear knows your father worked hard enough for the money he is laying out on your education.

    1939, Flann O'Brien, chapter 1, in At Swim-two-birds

Origin

Unclear. Bliss and Dolan suggest a conflation of dear, as in "oh dear" or "the Dear Lord", and deer, by analogy with the conflation in Irish of Fiadha "God" and fiadh "deer".

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

the dear knows. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20dear%20knows

MLA

“the dear knows.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20dear%20knows. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “the dear knows,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20dear%20knows.

Source: the dear knows on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.