who's there
After the knock
Who's there is the standard response to a knock at the door, asking the visitor to identify themselves: Who's there? It's me, open up.
The phrase also serves as the setup for knock-knock jokes, where the asker says "Knock knock," the responder says "Who's there?" and a pun follows.
In drama, it opens Shakespeare's Hamlet, spoken by a guard in darkness.
- knock knockDoor-rapping announcement
- knockStrike-produced sound
- doorHinged room barrier
- front doorPrimary household entry point
- helloCommon spoken greeting
visitor · unexpected guest · stranger · greeting · answer · open up · doorbell · peek · shadow · voice · calling · entrance · hallway · waiting · unexpected · mystery · horror movie · jump scare
- knock-knocksboo, lettuce, orange you glad, olive, banana
- Knock-Knock Jokespunchline, setup, door, interrupting cow, wooden shoe