now what

Phrase

now what?

1. A request, usually rhetorical, to know what, in a series of negative events, is the next negative event occurring.
   • With his hand on the instrument, the bell shrilled loudly. “Now, what?” growled Sir Julius.2009, Norman Berrow, Oil Under the Window, page 158
   • Moe pressed the retrieval button, but, nothing happened. “Now what,” grumbled Moe.2012, Gary T. Brideau, River of Fire, page 137
2. A request for advice or instruction on what should be done, when a situation has turned negative, particularly if a contingency has failed.
   • Somehow I didn't think it worked that way—not when they needed thirty-five thousand men a month. Now what? Revington was right; I'd run out of options2011, Keith Maillard, Lyndon Johnson and the Majorettes: Difficulty at the Beginning - Book 3, page 131
   • “The cerclage didn't work,” I said. “So now what?” Bill said. “Now what!”2012, Sara Connell, Bringing in Finn: An Extraordinary Surrogacy Story, page 118