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Usage of "as if" as interjection


My question concerns the usage of "as if" as an idiomatic interjection. The references I have consulted (etymonline, online dictionaries, etc.) seem to agree that "as if" is used in this context to convey incredulity or doubt. This is how I have always thought of it.


The other day, I was with friends who used "as if" to express their surprise and joy about a wedding proposal. They weren't being sarcastic or incredulous; they were genuinely happy about the proposal. Here is a loosely paraphrased version of what they said:


"As if they're getting married!"


Is my friends' usage of "as if" standard? Is it a primarily regional distinction? (I am in Ontario, Canada right now.) The closest example we could come up with is someone says "I can't believe that you won first prize!" Of course, the person can and does believe it, so their words ought not to be taken literally. Is it the same idea with "as if"?



Answer



The OED’s only entry for the colloquial use of as if is ‘Without clause, as an exclamation. Typically used as a sardonic response to a stated or reported suggestion’. Like you, I have never heard it used in any other way. You say that As if they're getting married! is ‘a loosely paraphrased version of what they said’. Did they perhaps actually say something different? They could, for example, have meant that there was so much celebration of this good news that it was as if they’re getting married already.


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