Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) what’s the meaning of —?, what’s the matter with —?

1940		J.H. O’Hara Pal Joey 41: What’s with the free food? Explain.
1945		F. Kane ‘Suicide’ in Crack Detective Jan. 🌐 What’s with this cancer of the throat gag?
1955		B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 194: What’s with this Father Barry? What’s his racket?
1966		H.S. Thompson Hell’s Angels (1967) 242: They let you hang around? What’s with ’em anyway? Are they really as bad as we hear?
1976		T. Murphy Sanctuary Lamp in Plays: 3 (1994) II i: What’s with the running out on us like that?
1988		M. Atwood Cat’s Eye (1989) 346: ‘What’s with her?’ says the painter.
1999		J. Poller Reach 93: Well then what’s with the attitude?
2004		J. Ellroy ‘Hot-Prowl Rape-O’ in Destination: Morgue! (2004) 313: What’s with the redheads?