come again

come again idiom
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What did you say? as in Come again? I can't believe you said that. This expression takes the literal meaning of the phrase—return—to ask someone to repeat a statement, either because it wasn't heard clearly or because its truth is being questioned. [Colloquial; second half of 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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