〜と思いきや

I thought (X), but contrary to expectation (Y)

Formation: Plain form (N / な-adj, with or without だ) + と思いきや; often 〜かと思いきや

The speaker (or people in general) expected X, but the actual result turned out to be the opposite or quite different, and this brings surprise. The second half states what really happened, so it describes a past fact. It cannot express the speaker's will, a request or a future plan. The phrase comes from classical Japanese and sounds literary. It appears in essays, columns and news features, and in speech it is used for a playful or dramatic effect. Unlike 〜かと思ったら／かと思うと, which can also mean 'no sooner had X happened than Y', と思いきや is used only for an expectation that turns out wrong.

Variants: 〜かと思いきや

Examples

試験は難しいと思いきや、意外に簡単だった。
I expected the exam to be hard, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy.
雨はやんだかと思いきや、また激しく降り出した。
Just when I thought the rain had stopped, it started pouring again.
新製品は売れないと思いきや、発売初日に完売した。
Contrary to expectations that it wouldn't sell, the new product sold out on its first day.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

No post has used this pattern yet. Examples from real texts will appear here.