the next thing I knew idiom informal
C2 （用于描述事情突然意外发生）接下来，之后
used to talk about part of a story that happens in a sudden and surprising way
A car came speeding around the corner, and the next thing I knew I was lying on the ground. 一辆车从拐角处飞速驶来，接下来我就躺在地上了。