As setdos /x-4 is a essential configuration option which expands current variable tokened by special char "%" bu not expands what it contains, so likewise is to have a feature that performs it when it gets echoed. So simliar to echox which suppress all special char meaning, except this one it does alike but is not echoing current % char instead it expands it normally as variable bu not expands any what it contains, just print them all out in corresponding to current encoding and code page setting.