what gives

Etymology
First attested in 1940, in 's novel . The term is considered by the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, Second Edition (2013) and several other references to be a and/or a 🇨🇬 equivalent. Brian Joseph considers this unlikely, however, and speculates that despite its extremely late attestation, it and the German was gibt's may "allow[] for a reconstruction of a Proto-West-Germanic existential use of 'give', which survives marginally into present usage."

Phrase

 * 1)  What is wrong? Why is this happening?
 * 2)  What is happening? What is going on?
 * 3)  How are you?
 * 1)  How are you?
 * 1)  How are you?