{"id":9678,"date":"2022-09-23T15:34:12","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T15:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=9678"},"modified":"2022-09-23T15:34:12","modified_gmt":"2022-09-23T15:34:12","slug":"what-you-see-is-what-you-get-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/what-you-see-is-what-you-get-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"What You See Is What You Get \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you viewing a dating profile with <strong><em>'what you see is what you get?'<\/em><\/strong> in the description? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p>The expression <em>'what you see is what you get'<\/em> means <u>things are as they appear, with no hidden agenda.<\/u> It's common to see the <u>acronym of the expression<\/u> <em>'WYSIWYG'<\/em> in <u>online dating profiles<\/u>. If someone says, <em>'what you see is what you get,'<\/em> they're being <u>straightforward with you, and they aren't concealing their appearance or character.<\/u><\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\"Look, what you see is what you get. I'm not going to pretend I have some big reveal here. Let's just go on a date and see if we hit it off. What do you say?\"<\/p>\n<p>\"That's it. What you see is what you get. I've owned the bike for five years, and it's the best one I've ever had. I'm sure you'll love it.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Check out the bio. What you see is what you get. I don't hold anything back; it's a glimpse into my life and mind. Let me know what you think.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"What you see is what you get. There are no hidden clauses or terms. You can take it at face value and believe what it says. It worked for me.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"WYSIWYG. Call me if you're interested. I'm looking for the right guy that can add value to my life as a single mother.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"WYSIWYG. I'm 24, 5'9\", and have long blond hair, blue eyes, and an athletic physique. I'm looking for the right partner to help me share my life experience.\"<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9679\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"182\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get-1.png 208w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get-1-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 182px) 100vw, 182px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9680\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get2-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"208\" height=\"180\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression 'what you see is what you get' originates from 'The Flip Wilson Show' in the 1960s. Flip Wilson would coin the term when performing as the drag-queen character 'Geraldine.' Wilson first used the expression on the 'Rowan &amp; Martin's Laugh-In' show, bringing it into the Flip Wilson Show later on.<\/p>\n<p>Wilson coined the phrase and is the reason for its spread in culture. However, the saying was in use long before he used it on his show as a catchphrase. According to language experts, what you see is what you get' was already used as early as the 1940s.<\/p>\n<p>The first use of the saying in print comes from an ad for 'Filmo Sportster' cameras, featured in 'The Charleston Gazette' in November 1949, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\"You just sight, press a button, and what you see, you get!\"<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tina Turner - What You Get Is What You See (Official Music Video)\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e0GVixJvt-g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to What You See Is What You Get<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>You get what you pay for.<\/li>\n<li>Above board and straightforward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to What You See Is What You Get<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Hidden terms and conditions.<\/li>\n<li>There\u2019s more under the surface.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>What you see is what you get<\/li>\n<li>WYSIWYG.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say What You See Is What You Get Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The phrase 'what you see is what you get' usually refers to people. However, it can also refer to objects and places. Using the saying to describe something with hidden features is incorrect.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase What You See Is What You Get<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the saying 'what you see is what you get' in social and professional settings. You could use it at work to describe an open, straightforward deal with no hidden clauses or terms. Or you could use it to explain how your boss speaks 'off-the-cuff' and has a genuine attitude to the staff.<\/p>\n<p>You could use it when selling your car to a stranger, letting them know that what they see is what they get, and you don't offer a guarantee with the purchase. Or you could use it to describe a friend or stranger with a genui9ne personality and attitude to life.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase suits verbal exchanges and text communications. When using it in texting, it's common for people to abbreviate it to WYSIWYG. It's a popular saying in the dating community when describing yourself to others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you viewing a dating profile with 'what you see is what you get?' in the description? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression 'what you see is what you get' means things are as they appear, with no hidden agenda. It's common to see the acronym of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9678"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9678"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9682,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9678\/revisions\/9682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}