 Rank: Member
Joined: 2/26/2021 Posts: 286 Neurons: 1,773
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of askaban. Harry is asking to his conductor as to why the muggle criminal has appeared in the magical newspaper.
"Course 'e was on the muggle news, Neville. Where you been?
I don't think it is asked as a question as Harry does not reply.
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 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/12/2011 Posts: 35,026 Neurons: 238,054 Location: Livingston, Scotland, United Kingdom
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It's a rhetorical question, idiomatic and reduced . . .
The full one would be "Where have you been for the past months/years?"
It means "Why don't you understand what has been happening? Where have you been, that you haven't seen this sort of thing before?"
"Hey! That moving map on your car dashboard shows where we are going!" "Yeah. It's a satnav. Where've you been?"
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