"Quite a combo" - meaning

I found this phrase in a comment on a song - "I really like this song, and I really like how diverse Shawn's family is, that's quite a combo."

It seems, that it's a some kind of idiom.

I really can't make sense of this expression. Could someone explain? Google and translators didn't help ))

Solution 1:

Yeah, it's a common idiom.

It simply draws attention to a pair, or group, of things which are "surprising together".

It simply means: "that's a surprising combination!" - that's it.

So, I tell you I have a Ferrari and a Volvo. You say "that's quite a combo!" Again, you're simply pointing out "that's a surprising combination!"

(Just FTR in the example it's not clear if the writer is talking about "Shwan's family" ("they're quite a combo!") or "the family plus the song" ("that song and that family are quite a combo!").)

Note that it can be used in a negative sense, or, just as a positive exclamation.

For example, say you offered me to eat "sushi with curry". I might say "oh dear - that's quite a combo!" Note that in this example, it is a polite way of saying "that's stupid and horrible."

On the other hand, you offer me chocolate and martinis, I say "That's quite a combo!" with no negative meaning, I'm just saying "that's a surprising combination!" - I may go on to say "That's quite a combo, I love it, let's eat."

That's all there is to it.