I often seem “down” to people recently — probably because I am, but anyhow yesterday someone asked me, “What’s the matter?” Really, he was asking, “What’s wrong?” I got to thinking about that and I realized that sometimes I say whats the matter when I really mean what’s wrong.
Turns out that the phrase “What’s the matter?” comes from the older use of the word “matter,” which originally meant “a subject, issue or situation.” Technically, I think when you ask “What’s the matter?” you’re really asking “What’s the situation?” or “What’s the issue?”
Over time, the phrase came to be associated with concern or worry and it’s now mostly used when something seems to be wrong.
The association with something being wrong probably strengthened because people tended to use “What’s the matter?” when they noticed someone was upset, depressed, or dealing with a problem. As a result, the phrase became shorthand, or in place of, asking “What’s wrong?”
— 30 —