phrases - Shocking but not surprising



I came across this phrase on a news website:



"It is shocking but not surprising," said the parliamentarian to..



and I wondered to myself if that is indeed a valid phrase in English. A google search for Shocking but not surprising reveals many articles and pages. The dictionary says shocking means intense surprise:



adjective 1. causing intense surprise, disgust, horror, etc.



Although I can "guess" the meaning of the phrase, it does seem a bit odd. How can one be intensely surprised but not surprised at the same time?. It does seem in popular use, but is it a valid English phrase? If it is, can some one please provide a good example of the actual meaning with context?


Thanks in advance.



Answer



Let's say a politician who swears a lot in private suddenly uses profanity in public, for example, on a live TV interview.


A viewer might say, "It is shocking(,) but not surprising."


It could mean he is shocked to see a politician use profanity in public because it is not the right thing for any politician to do and it is unbecoming of a public figure, but he has been expecting this would happen in one day or another because he knows he swears very often in private.


Not surprising in the sentence means "it is not something that I didn't expect to happen". In other words, "it is something that I expected would happen".


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