Word.ws English Dictionary

I know you are but what am I

I know you are but what am I phrase: used to assert that an insult made by the party to whom the phrase is directed is actually true of that party, and not of the person using the phrase. Usually considered to be a playground taunt.

Phrase

I know you are but what am I?

  1. (childish, humorous, rhetoric) Used to assert that an insult made by the party to whom the phrase is directed is actually true of that party, and not of the person using the phrase. Usually considered to be a playground taunt.
    • I know you are but what am I? Jeannie would say out loud, whenever I mouthed a name at her.1984, McCall's, volume 111, page 62
    • At this point Johnny changes tactics and hollers, "I know you are, but what am I?" and the voice echoes, "I know you are, but what am I?"2003, Mark E. Jones, Echoes of Heaven, page 7
  2. (Internet, rhetoric) Used to mock a retort in a dispute that tries to reverse an insult on its original speaker.
    Synonyms:
    IKYABWAI
  3. (humorous, rare) Used to direct back a statement as a compliment.
    • > Vince, you're cute! O.o
      I know you are but what am I?1999 August 6, Vincent Kelgar Valentine, “Vince finally has a picture!”, in alt.games.final-fantasy (Usenet), archived from the original on 18 Apr 2026
    • > Smile. I see I have another admirer. How cute.
      I know you are but what am I?2001 April 8, Mike Curmudgeon, “critique my Logo Number 1”, in alt.design.graphics (Usenet), archived from the original on 18 Apr 2026

I know you are but what am I meaning in Hindi

I know you are but what am I in Hindi

assertion that an insult made by the party to whom the phrase is directed is actually true of that party
जो बोलता है वही होता है jo boltā hai vahī hotā hai

Synonyms of I know you are but what am I

Forms of I know you are but what am I

alternative formI know you are, but what am I

Origin of I know you are but what am I

Uncertain, but dates back at least to the June 15th, 1957 issue of The New Yorker (Vol. 33 No. 17, page 23). In "The Talk of the Town", which was a collaborative effort by the magazine's staff writers: "INTERROGATIVE WISP FOUND IN GUTTER OF MACDOUGAL STREET: 'I know you are but what am I?'" The phrase is often attributed to Pee-Wee Herman.

Questions about I know you are but what am I

What does I know you are but what am I mean?
I know you are but what am I means used to assert that an insult made by the party to whom the phrase is directed is actually true of that party, and not of the person using the phrase. Usually considered to be a playground taunt.
What is I know you are but what am I in Hindi?
I know you are but what am I in Hindi is जो बोलता है वही होता है (jo boltā hai vahī hotā hai). See I know you are but what am I meaning in Hindi.
What part of speech is I know you are but what am I?
I know you are but what am I is a phrase.

Words near I know you are but what am I in the dictionary

  1. I kill you laters
  2. I know
  3. I know it
  4. I know it when I see it
  5. I know that's right
  6. I know you are but what am I
  7. I know you are, but what am I
  8. I know, right
  9. I like pie
  10. I like reading
  11. I like that

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: I know you are but what am I (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-I know you are but what am I.ogg, en-us-I know you are but what am I.ogg.

Cite this entry: “I know you are but what am I.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/i_know_you_are_but_what_am_i. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.