なんのこと

なんのこと【何の事】

1 〔疑問〕 what; what kind.

●そりゃ何のことだ. What do you mean by that?

・「この店では客にこんな物を食べさせるのかね?」「何のことでしょうか」 “Does this restaurant serve its customers things like this?”―“What are you talking about?”

・急にそんなことを言われても何のことやらさっぱりわかりません. If you say such things to me without warning, I have no idea what you're talking about.

・部長が君に預けた書類がどうのと言ってたけど, 何のことかわかる? The department manager said something about some documents he had given to you to take care of. Do you know what he was talking about?

・手紙の最後に PBYB と書いてあるが何のことだかわからない. It says “PBYB” at the end of the letter, but I've no idea what it means.

2 〔特別のこと〕

●何のこともなく uneventfully; quietly.

●家を建てたといっても何のことはない, ウサギ小屋に毛の生えたようなものですよ. I may have built a house, but it's little better than a rabbit hutch.

・二人の仲はだれにも知られていないと思っていたが, 何のことはない, 学校じゅうに知れ渡っていた. The two of them thought that no one knew about their relationship, but in fact, it was known throughout the school.

・あわてて医者を呼んで来たら, 何のことことはない, もう赤ん坊は笑っていた. They brought in the doctor in a hurry, but there was nothing to worry about, since the baby was already smiling.

・何のことはない, これは体(_てい)のいい詐欺だ. This is nothing but a carefully disguised fraud.

・何のことはない, これでは奴隷だ. This practically amounts to slavery.

・どんな悪路かと思ったら, 何のことはない, きれいに整備されたハイキングコースだった. I wondered how bad the path would be, but to my relief, it turned out to be a beautifully prepared hiking course.

・緊張して受けたのだが, 面接は格別何のこともなかった. I was apprehensive about being interviewed, but nothing particularly unnerving happened.