Wikipedia

What's that got to do with the...?

"What's that got to do with the price of...?" is a sarcastic expression denoting annoyance at the irrelevance or non sequitur of someone's comment in a broader discussion. The closing phrase (after "of" in the sentence) can be almost any common or well-known commodity, such as foods (tea, fish, eggs, bread, bacon, pork), or dry goods (cotton, rope, boots, shotguns).[1] The commodity may also be narrowed down to a ___location ("price of tea in China").

The most common form is, What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?, is a retort to an irrelevant suggestion.[2] This facetious usage implies that the topic under discussion might as well be the price of tea in China for all the relevance the speaker's suggestion bears on it.

There are variations of the opening phrasing, such as:[3]

  • What has that to do with the price of...
  • What does that have to do with the price of...
  • What has that got to do with the price of...
  • What's that got to do with... (dropping "price of")
  • What does (subject) have to do with...

History

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Linguist Pascal Tréguer has traced variations of the phrase back to at least 1832, using various commodities as the comparison.[1] He dates the common variation, the price of tea in China, to 1930, relating it to the late 19th century phrase, not for all the tea in China. The latter phrase indicates totality, and its use in the sarcastic version might emphasize the mocking tone ("what does your statement have to do with anything whatsoever"). Prior to 1930, other versions of the price of tea in China variation do exist, as far back as 1895, though not using the same phrasing as the subject of this article, and perhaps meant as a straight question, and not an objection.[4]

Variations

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Many variations of the phrase exist in English, and there are similar phrases with the same purpose in other languages.

English

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What's that got to do with the price of tea in China? appears to be the most common version in American English.[1] A common variation is "What's that got to do with the price of eggs?", dating back to the 1920s. and possibly the progenitor of "What's that got to do with the price of fish?"[5] Another common version is "What's that got to do with the price of cheese?",[6] "Bread" is also an alternative. Another version can be found in Terry Pratchett's The Last Continent, with the quote being "What's that got to do with the price of feet." [7][8]

Other languages

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A related expression in Hebrew can be found in a commentary on the Biblical commandment of the septennial Shmitah or sabbatical year. Leviticus 25:1 specifically states that God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai; while this was a common ___location for God to speak to Moses, the text's explicit reference to it is very rare. Accordingly, Rashi's commentary begins with the question "What does Shmita have to do with Mount Sinai?" (מה עניין שמיטה אצל הר סיני?)[9] The question in rabbinic culture took on a general meaning equivalent to that of the "price of tea in China" expression.[citation needed]

There is also a similar phrase in Polish which says: "What does a piernik have to do with a windmill?" (Co ma piernik do wiatraka?). The exact origin of the expression is uncertain.[10] Another similar phrase also exists in French, Quel est le rapport avec la choucroute?, which translates to "What does it have to do with the sauerkraut?"

References

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  1. ^ a b c Tréguer, Pascal (2023-11-25). "'what has that got to do with the price of ——?': meaning and origin". word histories. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  2. ^ Rees, Nigel (2001). Oops, Pardon, Mrs Arden!: An Embarrassment of Domestic Catch Phrases. Robson. pp. 214–5. ISBN 1-86105-440-8.
  3. ^ Tréguer, Pascal (2023-12-02). "'what has that got to do with the price of tea in China?': meaning and origin". word histories. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
  4. ^ "Hardy's Wonderful Discovery". The Kansas Democrat. 1895-09-05. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  5. ^ "The price of fish - phrase meaning and origin". www.phrases.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2023-11-25. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  6. ^ "what's that got to do with the price of cheese". TheFreeDictionary.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-25. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
  7. ^ Gallegati, Mauro; Giulioni, Gianfranco; Kirman, Alan; Palestrini, Antonio (2011-09-01). "What's that got to do with the price of fish? Buyers behavior on the Ancona fish market" (PDF). Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. Special Section: Fish Markets. 80 (1): 20–33. doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2011.01.011. ISSN 0167-2681. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  8. ^ Pratchett, Terry (2006). The Last Continent. Corgi. ISBN 0552154180.
  9. ^ David Seidenberg. "Shmita: the purpose of Sinai" (PDF). neohasid.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-12-09. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  10. ^ Bańko, Mirosław [in Polish]. "Co ma piernik do wiatraka?" [What does a piernik have to do with a windmill?] (in Polish). Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
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