{"id":198,"date":"2021-11-12T23:26:19","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T23:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=198"},"modified":"2021-11-12T23:27:00","modified_gmt":"2021-11-12T23:27:00","slug":"inquiring-minds-want-to-know-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/inquiring-minds-want-to-know-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Inquiring Minds Want to Know - Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you have an \"inquiring mind?\" The chances are that if you walked past a newsstand in the 70s and 80s, you would see a copy of the tabloid paper, \"Enquiring Minds.\" Over the following decades, people would replace the phrase with the alternative spelling of the word, resulting in \"Inquiring minds<\/em><\/strong>\" as an expression.<\/p>\n

This colloquial phrase is suitable for many different formal and informal scenarios, and it's still a common slang phrase used in modern language.<\/p>\n

The current format of \"Inquiring minds want to know<\/em>\" replaced the older variant some years ago, with the expression appearing in popular culture like movies and music, such as \"Buffy the Vampire Slayer<\/em>,\" and the song \"Midnight Star<\/em>\" by Weird Al Yankovic.<\/p>\n

Inquiring Minds Want to Know Meaning<\/h2>\n

The phrase \"inquiring minds want to know<\/em>\" is a common expression asking for more information. The request could be to a friend, work colleague, or authority, like your boss or the government.<\/p>\n

When you tell someone that \"inquiring minds want to know<\/em>,\" you're asking them to unveil secret, confidential information or data that's out of the public view. The idiom also refers to the nature of a curious mind wanting to learn more about certain topics.<\/p>\n

Inquiring Minds Want to Know Example Usage<\/h2>\n

There are several ways where you can use the idiom in conversation. Here are a few examples of the use of the phrase.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • C'mon Kate, tell us about your date last night, inquiring minds want to know<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  • With all due respect Mr. Prime Minister, when will you reveal the budget? \u2013 Inquiring minds want to know<\/em>?<\/li>\n
  • I know you promised Damian you wouldn't tell, but did you do it? Inquiring minds want to know<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  • Are you single? Inquiring minds want to know<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  • Are their aliens visiting the planet? Inquiring minds want to know<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Inquiring Minds Want to Know Origin<\/h2>\n

    The origin of \"Inquiring minds want to know<\/em>\" goes back to the 70s and the release of the publication \"The National Enquirer<\/strong>\" in the United States. This tabloid publication would print sensational stories that caught the public eye. It was one of the first \"shock-and-awe\" publications to hit the newsstand shelves, but it faded in popularity with the dawning of the internet in the late 90s.<\/p>\n

    However, the National Enquirer copyrighted \"Enquiring minds want to know<\/em>\" in the late 1980s. So, many people reverted to the alternative spelling of \"Inquiring<\/em>.\" The phrase's popularity made its way into popular culture, and there are plenty of people, from celebrities to journalists and podcasters, who use it today.<\/p>\n