what can you do

English

Phrase

what can you do?

1. A rhetorical question expressing that an undesirable situation is inevitable.

   Near-synonym: what can I say

   • 2017, Carl Frode Tiller, Encircling: Book 2:

     I bend my head over the paper, screw up my eyes, trying to read what it says, but it's no use, I can hardly see to read now, the print's so small that I can't read much except the headlines. Oh, well, what can you do?

See also

• it is what it is