Meanings
alternative story
- Requesting an explanation.
What's the story with you and Janine? Are you dating or just friends?
- IrelandidiomaticDublinA greeting; How are you?, What's up?
1 more example
*Any non-Irish person should be aware that it is not necessary to take the question literally i.e. one shouldn't start to explain your life story when greeted with 'What's the story?' rather they should respond in kind e.g. Greeting: 'What's the story?' Response: 'What's the story?' There are several variations on the theme, the most popular being 'What's the story, bud?' or the pithy : 'Story, bud?' or the pithier still 'Story?'
2012, Colin Murphy, Donal O'Dea, “18 - Saying 'What's the story?'”, in More Stuff Irish People Love, 2017 edition, The O'Brien Press Ltd, →ISBN
Origin
- Irishcad é an scéal
- Englishwhat's the story
From What's the story with you?, possibly through Irish cad é an scéal (lit. "What's the story") (possible backtranslation).
More words from Irish
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
what's the story. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what's%20the%20story
“what's the story.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what's%20the%20story. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “what's the story,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what's%20the%20story.
Source: what's the story on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.