goodness knows


goodness knows

1. No one knows. (A variant of "God knows.") Goodness knows how long it will take for my application to be processed. A: "How do you think you did on your exam?" B: "Goodness knows!"2. It is true, certain, or definite that; it is obvious or clear that. Goodness knows I need to do well on this test, or I can kiss my scholarship goodbye!See also: goodness, know

God/goodness/Heaven knows

(spoken)
1 I do not know; no one knows: ‘What’s going to happen next?’ ‘God knows.’
2 used for adding emphasis to a statement, opinion, etc: God knows how he manages to survive on such a small salary.I’m no gardening expert, goodness knows!(Some people may find the use of God knows offensive.)See also: god, goodness, heaven, know