# What's a matter and a whole 'nother.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-matter-and-a-whole-nother/644077>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 15, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-matter-and-a-whole-nother/644077 "2012-12-15T00:55:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-matter-and-a-whole-nother/644077/1 "2012-12-15T00:55:47Z")

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I just realized, while I’m fairly well-spoken, I say “What’s a matter?” rather than “What’s the matter?” and also say “a whole 'nother” rather than “another whole.” So I started wondering who else uses these phrases and if they’re colloquial - I was born and raised in NW Indiana.

And you?

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**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-matter-and-a-whole-nother/644077/2 "2012-12-15T01:00:02Z")

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I say “A whole other…” and “What’s the matter?”

StG

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**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-matter-and-a-whole-nother/644077/3 "2012-12-15T01:08:10Z")

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Not being Italian, I never say “What’s a matter?”

My preference for “Whole other” is not included in the poll.

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**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-matter-and-a-whole-nother/644077/4 "2012-12-15T03:17:50Z")

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“What’s the matter” and “whole 'nother”. SW Ohio born and raised.

Also, I believe the Italian pronunciation is “Whattsamattayou?”

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**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-matter-and-a-whole-nother/644077/5 "2012-12-15T06:44:15Z")

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There’s a distinction between “a whole other . . .” (or “a whole 'nother”) and “an other whole . . .” because of which word the adjective “whole” modifies. If you mean it to modify “other” or “another”, then you have to put “whole” first.

“A whole 'nother” comes from the fact that “another” is a sort of contraction of “an other”. So people find it awkward to say “a whole another” and contract that to “a whole 'nother” instead of “an other whole . . .”

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**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-matter-and-a-whole-nother/644077/6 "2012-12-15T07:04:23Z")

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An earlier thread on “a-whole-nother”. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9333116&highlight=nother#post9333116](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9333116&highlight=nother#post9333116)

“What’s-a matta you? Hey! Gotta no respect!.. [Ah, shaddup-a you face!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFacWGBJ_cs)”