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to withdraw from a position (usually due to old age); go into seclusion; to withdraw
retire
grit
embark
spend
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what on earth...



 
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ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
proper usage question | 'Head or tail?' vs 'Heads or tails?'
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what on earth... #1 (permalink) Wed Apr 28, 2010 7:38 am   what on earth...
 

Hi,

what does the phrase 'what on earth' mean?

have a great day...

subburaj
Suraj21
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what on earth... #2 (permalink) Wed Apr 28, 2010 9:25 am   what on earth...
 

Here 'on earth' is used to add emphasis to 'what' when beginning a question
Bala9008
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what on earth... #3 (permalink) Wed Apr 28, 2010 19:39 pm   what on earth...
 

The "on earth" modifies the extent of the level of incredulity/surprise/unexpectedness/etc, literally meaning a comparison to the entire rest of the planet, and how "here" is the only place where one would find "this".
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proper usage question | 'Head or tail?' vs 'Heads or tails?'
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