yesadv.n.int.

Brit.

/jɛs/, U.S.

/jɛs/

Inflections: Plural yes's, yeses, yesses.

Forms:

α. Old English gise, Old English ise (Northumbrian), Middle English ȝhis, Middle English ȝise, Middle English ȝisse, Middle English ȝys, Middle English yhis, Middle English yijs, Middle English yys, Middle English–1500s ȝis, Middle English–1500s (1800s– Irish English and U.S. regional) yis, 1500s yisse, 1500s ys, 1500s–1600s is; English regional 1700s– iss (chiefly south-western and west midlands), 1800s hiss (south-western), 1800s– yis; also Scottish pre-1700 ȝhis, pre-1700 ȝis, pre-1700 ȝys, pre-1700 yhis, pre-1700 1800s–1900s yis, 1900s yiss (Shetland).

β. Old English–early Middle English gyse, early Middle English gyese, Middle English ȝeus, Middle English ȝus, Middle English ȝuse, Middle English yus; English regional 1800s e-us (southern); also Scottish pre-1700 ȝhus; see also yus adv.

γ. late Old English gese, Middle English ȝeis, Middle English ȝes, Middle English ȝeysse, Middle English yesse, Middle English– yes, 1500s–1600s yeas, 1900s ace (U.S. regional); English regional 1800s eece, 1800s eeece, 1800s eese (southern), 1800s eess (south-western), 1800s– ees, 1800s– eez (southern), 1900s 'ees (south-western), 1900s 'es (south-western), 1900s es (south-western), 1900s ess (south-western); also Scottish pre-1700 ȝais, pre-1700 ȝeis, pre-1700 ȝes, pre-1700 yes; N.E.D. (1921) also records late Middle English yhes; see also yas adv., yayus adv., yerse adv.

Origin: Of uncertain origin. Apparently formed within English, by compounding. Etymon: yea adv.

Etymology: Apparently < yea adv. (or its Germanic base) + a second element of uncertain and disputed origin, probably adding emphasis to the affirmation and apparently causing i-mutation. The word has no close cognates outside English nor any clear parallels in the older Germanic languages. Old English gīse (already attested in this form in early West Saxon; late West Saxon gȳse : see α. and β. forms) seems to reflect an unattested early West Saxon form *gīese , with i-mutation of ēa . This has been explained as reflecting earlier *gēasī < gēa yea adv. + sī , 3rd singular present subjunctive of bēon be v. (see Forms 3a(i)δ. ), although the motivation for a subjunctive form is unclear (see note). Compare the apparently similarly formed Old English nese no (in Northumbrian also as næse , etc. and once as næsi ), where the first element is ne ne adv.¹ For a similarly used compound of the Germanic base of yea adv. with a different second element (also of uncertain and disputed origin), compare Old Icelandic jaur . Compare yea adv., aye adv.In Old English the word is typically attested in contexts in which affirmation contrasts with a preceding negative statement or question (compare senses A. 1a, A. 1b); the fact that the subjunctive would not be expected in this context has led some to suggest that the extant evidence already shows a generalization of an earlier more specific use in which the subjunctive was motivated as expressing a wish or the like (compare later sense A. 2). An alternative derivation < *gēa swā , lit. ‘yea, so’ (compare so adv. and conj.) has also been suggested, but would pose phonological problems, as the apparent i-mutation would be unexplained. For a detailed discussion of the evidence and a proposed derivation < *gēa (hit) is swā , lit. ‘yea, it is so’, see P. Wallage & W. van der Wurff in Anglo-Saxon England 42 (2013) 183–215. Modern standard English yes (see γ. forms) is apparently a shortened reflex of unattested Anglian (Mercian) *gēse . Some of the later α. forms may reflect Middle English γ. forms with raising of e to i between a palatal and a dental. The resultant pronunciation /jɪs/ is not only widespread regionally, but was formerly current in standard English alongside

/jɛs/ (compare e.g. Walker's Pronouncing Dict. (1791) at cited word). With use as noun compare the following isolated earlier use of the Old English phrase ge gīse ge nese ‘(a matter of) both yes and no’:eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xlii. 308 Wene ge nu ðæt ic ænigre leohtmodnesse bruce, oððe ðætte ic ðence æfter woruldluste, oððe wene ge ðæt ægðer sie mid me ge gise ge nese?

A. adv.

a. Expressing an affirmative reply to a question involving a negative, e.g. ‘Didn't you enjoy it?’ ‘Yes (I did enjoy it)’.In older usage yes was usually considered to be the proper affirmative reply to a question framed in the negative, whereas yea (yea adv. 1a) was considered the proper affirmative reply when the question was framed in the positive (cf. sense A. 1c); a similar distinction was made between no and nay. This distinction became obsolete soon after 1600, and since then yes has been the ordinary affirmative reply to any question positive or negative, and yea has become archaic. The distinction was still observed in the King James Bible (1611), in which yes occurs four times (all in the New Testament), always after a negative question or statement; the revisers of 1881, apparently in ignorance of the usage, altered it in all these instances to yea (see, e.g., quot. 1611).

OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xvii. 25 Þa þæt gafol namon..þus cwædon: Eower lareow ne gylt he gafol? Þa cwæð he: Gyse, he deð.

lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. xvi. 276 Wenst ðu þæt se godcunda anweald ne mihte afyrran þone anweald þam unrihtwisan kasere..gif he wolde? Gise, la gese; ic wat þæt he mihte gif he wolde.

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 287 Ne muchte he wið lesse gref habben arud us. ȝes iwis [a1250 Titus ȝuse I wis, a1250 Nero ȝe siker].

c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 147 (MED) Nys nys [read þys] god laȝe? Ȝes, y-wys, god laȝe hys.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5208 ‘How sua, es þar na noþer king?’ ‘Yus [Gött. Ȝes], bot he dus nakins thing.’

?a1430 Compleynte Virgin (Huntington) l. 101 in Minor Poems T. Hoccleve (1970) i. 3 Myn hertes greef, moot I nat weepe? O yis!

?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 276 Thynk ȝe not he is worthy to dey. Et clamabant omnes ȝys, ȝys, ȝys. Alle we seye, his is worthy to dey, ȝa ȝa ȝa.

a1500 (?c1450) Merlin iii. 54 ‘Haue ye no mynde of the sarazins..?’ And thei seide, ‘Yesse, full wele.’

1533 T. More Debellacyon Salem & Bizance ii. xvi. f. lxxxiii Wolde not the iudges trowe you geue them the herynge? yes yes I dowte not.

1545 G. Joye Expos. Daniel (iii.) f. 38^v Did we not cast thre men bownde into the fyer? which answerd, yisse trwly oh kynge.

1611 Bible (King James) Rom. iii. 29 Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes [1881 R.V. Yea], of the Gentiles also .

a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) ii. i. 115 Val. What meanes your Ladiship? Doe you not like it? Sil. Yes, yes .

1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vi. 255 Was not the hand of the Almighty..able also, to drowne their..plaines with water? Yes and doubtlesse yes.

1646 H. Vaughan tr. Juvenal 10th Satyre 485 But thy spruce boy must touch no other face Then a Patrician? Is of any race So they be rich.

1727 D. Hume Let. 4 July (1932) I. 9 But would you not in the same manner have lent your own? Yes. Then Why this Ceremony & Goodbreeding?

1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1779 II. 301 B. ‘Is not the Giant's Causeway worth seeing?’—J. ‘Worth seeing, yes; but not worth going to see.’

1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iii. xvi. 141 ‘You never can have walked, my dear?’ ‘Yes, I have.’

1886 E. L. Dorsey Midshipman Bob ii. xi. 219 ‘Don't you get mad ever, eh?’.. ‘Yes, I'm sorry to say I do.’

1954 C. P. Snow New Men iv. xxviii. 206 ‘Don't you like extravagant people?’ she asked. ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Unless it comes too near home.’

2005 Good Weekend (Austral.) 20 Aug. 17/1 It can't be for real? Actually, yes it can, and the process isn't that complicated.

b. Used to contradict or disagree with a negative statement expressed or implied, e.g. ‘You didn't enjoy it.’ ‘Yes, I did.’The negative statement may be coupled with a negative command or request, expressed or implied (cf. quots. OE¹, 1911).Now usually accompanied by a short asseverative phrase echoing the preceding statement; e.g. in quot. a1616¹, modern usage would require ‘Yes, it was.’

ΘΠ

the mind > language > statement > affirmation and denial > [adverb] > as an affirmative answer > in answer to negative question or statement > in contradiction of negative statement

yesOE

yea1561

OE tr. Gospel of Nicodemus (Cambr.) iv. §2. 161 Pilatus..cwæð to hym dygollice: ‘Ne do ge na swa for þan ic nan yfel on hym næbbe gemet...’ Þa cwædon þa ealdras..to Pilate: ‘Gise, swa hwylc man swa wyðersacað þam casere he byð deaðes scyldig’.

OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) iv. ii. 262 Petrus cwæð: ‘..ic næfre ær þis nyste, þæt ungeleaffull man hæfde geleafan’. Gregorius him andswarode: ‘gyse, þa ungeleaffullan habbað geleafan’.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 8589 Þa andswarede þe king Mærlin þu sæist sællic þing. þe nauere nan iboren mon ne maie heom bringgen þenne... hu mihte ich heom þenne heom bringen þeonne. Þa andswerede Mærlin þan kinge..Ȝuse ȝuse lauerd king.

c1300 St. Theophilus (Laud) l. 125 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 291 ‘Leuedi, merci,’ Teofle seide, ‘vnwuyrþe ich am..swuch schrift to him do.’ ‘Ȝus, hardiliche,’ ore leuedi seide, ‘for he is milde and softe.’

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 5066 We ar noȝt of a kithe saide he. ȝus þat salle I shew to þe.

a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) l. 3354 ‘Þis childe rose vp, and alyue he ys.’..‘Ȝe,’ quod þe kyng, ‘he nasnot dede þo, y-wys.’ ‘Ȝeysse, for god,’ quod þe knyȝt, ‘dede he was & his body golde.’ ‘Ȝoye, sire,’ quod þe archebisshop.., ‘Mony grette meracle þis mayden has do.’ ‘Ȝe, syre archebysshop, holde þou þy clappe! For y ȝeue no by-leue þerto.’

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 44 ‘How sholdist thou know hit? For thou arte nat so olde of yerys to know my fadir.’ ‘Yes,’ seyde Merlyon, ‘I know hit bettir than ye or ony man lyvynge.’

a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 252 Then..þe Iewe..sayde hit was not soo. ‘Ȝeus,’ quod þe cristyn man.

1554 D. Lindsay Dialog Experience & Courteour iv. sig. Q.ii^v We neuer saw thyne excellence Subdewit to sic Indigence Ȝis (sall he [sc. Christ] say)..Quhen euer ȝe did ressaue the pure.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. iv. 48 Post... My Quarrell was not altogether slight. French. Faith yes, to be put to the arbiterment of Swords.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) ii. ii. 50 Isab. Must he needs die? Ang. Maiden, no remedie. Isab. Yes: I doe thinke that you might pardon him.

1725 N. Bailey tr. Erasmus Colloq. 70 I believe it has not struck five yet. Bo. Yes, it is a good while past five.

1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1779 II. 301 Boswell. ‘You did not know what you was undertaking.’ Johnson. ‘Yes, Sir, I knew very well what I was undertaking.’

1852 B. Disraeli Ld. G. Bentinck xxvi. 539 ‘You do not know what the Derby is,’ he moaned out. ‘Yes, I do; it is the blue ribbon of the turf.’

1880 ‘M. Twain’ Tramp Abroad xxvii. 281 ‘I did not know he ever preached there.’ ‘O, yes he did.’

1911 G. B. Shaw Getting Married in Doctor's Dilemma 291 Youre not coming home with me. Hotchkiss..: Yes I am. Mrs. George: No. Hotchkiss: Yes. Think again.

1975 J. Symons Three Pipe Probl. xviii. 194 He asked what she would do now. ‘Don't worry about me, I'm a survivor.’ ‘But you cannot go now. In the fog.’ ‘Oh yes, I can. Goodbye, Willie.’

2005 A. Fine Raking Ashes vii. 96 ‘It wasn't me,’ he wailed. Tears swelled and splashed. ‘Yes it was, daftie.’

c. Expressing an affirmative reply to a question which doesn't involve a negative, e.g. ‘Did you enjoy it?’ ‘Yes (I did enjoy it)’. Cf. no adv.² 1a.Formerly usually more emphatic than yea or aye; in later use, in standard English, yes replaced these words as the ordinary affirmative reply to a question framed in the positive; cf. note at sense A. 1a.

ΘΠ

the mind > language > statement > assent > [adverb] > expression of assent

yesOE

yeaOE

soa1400

toa1525

very well1529

yus1775

yerse1862

yeah1863

yeh1868

orright1874

yep1883

yup1887

ayuh1894

yairs1896

yayus1900

yip1906

too right1919

quite1924

the mind > language > statement > affirmation and denial > [adverb] > as an affirmative answer > in answer to question not involving negative

yesOE

yeaOE

just so1655

the mind > language > statement > affirmation and denial > [adverb] > as an affirmative answer > in answer to negative question or statement > in answer to negative question

yesOE

OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) i. 181 Hwi, wolde God swa lytles þinges him forwyrnan..? Gyse, hu mihte Adam tocnawan hwæt he wære, buton he wære gehyrsum on sumum þincge his hlaforde?

a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 31 Hwat seist þu, Dauið? Hafst þu aniȝe sikernesse herof?.. ‘Ȝise,’ he seið, ‘we bieð all siker of godes behate.’

a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 4483 ‘Cleymeþ he after cloþes..? deceyue me nouȝt..but seie me þe soþe.’ ‘Ȝis, bi crist..cloþes he askes.’

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1882) VIII. 313 Of þis erle..is ofte greet stryf.., wheþer he schulde be acounted for seyntes oþer none. Some seyn ȝis [c1400 Tiber. ȝus, c1410 BL Add. ȝys, 1482 Caxton yes]... Oþer seien þe contrarie.

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 539 Ȝys, ita, eciam.

1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) iv. 470 ‘Ȝhis [1487 St. John's Cambr. ȝai],’ said a woman, ‘Schyr, perfay, Off strang men I kan ȝow say.’

1517 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1928) xxxiii. 171 Haue you hym sene in ony tyme before Yes yes quod she.

1583 C. Hollyband Campo di Fior 227 Hast thou found thy Tusculans questions? Is, so evill favoured that I knew them not.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) ii. iii. 27 Duk. Loue you the man that wrong'd you? Iul. Yes, as I loue the woman that wrong'd him.

1637 J. Milton Comus 20 2. Bro. Is this the confidence You gave me brother? Eld: bro. Yes, and keep it still.

1727 D. Defoe Conjugal Lewdness 245 Tom. What, you will have a Wife pass'd Children then. Is that it? Jack.Yes, yes, that's it indeed.

1793 C. Smith Old Manor House II. xiii. 310 ‘And is she there now?’ cried Orlando eagerly. ‘Yes,’ replied the cook.

1808 W. Scott Marmion i. Introd. 5 Will spring return,..And blossoms clothe the hawthorn spray? Yes, prattlers, yes. The daisy's flower Again shall paint your summer bower.

1866 E. Lynn Linton Lizzie Lorton II. iii. 63 ‘Is it a nice clean place?’ asked Aunt Harriet... ‘Yis! yis! clean eneugh!’ said Isaac.

1890 A. Gissing Village Hampden I. i. 19 ‘Is anybody with him?’ ‘Iss, Miss—but 'ere her be.’

1917 G. W. E. Russell Politics & Personalities iv. x. 364 It is wise to be prepared for this evil? Until the dream of a universal..disarmament is realized, surely yes.

a1966 ‘C. S. Forester’ Hornblower & Crisis (1967) vii. 71 ‘You boy!..D'you want to earn a shilling?’ ‘Iss, that do I.’

1977 J. Johnston Shadows on our Skin 50 ‘Do you like Jaffa cakes?’... ‘Yes.’ ‘It's just as well. They're all I've got.’

1992 S. Tharoor Show Business (1995) iii. 151 ‘Where does she live? How did you meet her?’ And Amma adds, ‘Is she fair?’ ‘Yes, she is,’ Ashok answers his mother.

2015 K. MacQuarrie in New Writing Scotl. 33 104 ‘Is it still raining?’ ‘Well, yes, now that you mention it.’

2. Expressing assent or agreement. Cf. yessir adv., yes-man n., yes-woman n., etc.

a. Expressing assent to a command, request, proposal, or summons.

?a1300 Dame Sirith l. 294 in G. H. McKnight Middle Eng. Humorous Tales (1913) 14 (MED) ‘Abid me her til min hom-come’; ‘Ȝus..Heþen nulli ben binomen, Til þou be aȝein comen.’

c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 436 He bede hem pens mo..Ȝif þai wald wiþ him go... ‘Ȝis’ þai sworen þo.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4341 ‘Lauedi,’ he said, ‘com to þi mete.’ ‘Yus,’ sco said.

a1450 Castle Perseverance (1969) l. 438 Now go we forth..And bere þe manly euere among... Humanum genus. Ȝys, and ellys haue þou my necke.

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 84 ‘Hast thow slayne my brothir? Thou shalt dey therefore or thou departe.’ ‘Well,’ seyde Balyn, ‘do hit youreselff.’ ‘Yes,’ seyde kyng Pellam, ‘there shall no man have ado with the but I myselff.’

a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiii. 140 (MED) ‘Go spar The gaytt-doore’..‘Yis, Mak.’

1554 J. Gwynneth Declar. State wherin Heretikes leade Liues sig. Biv^v Cath. In dede I haue more, whether it be worse or no, I will referre that to thy iudgement, if thou wilt tarry the hearing therof. Here. Yes sir that will I doe, if this daie will serue the turne.

1602 B. Jonson Poetaster iii. ii. sig. E2^v Horace. For Ioues sake, find some meanes, to take me from him. Arist. Yes, I will: but I'le goe first, and tell Mecœnas.

1677 E. Ravenscroft Wrangling Lovers ii. 57 Gus. Tell him I accidentally lost his company, and urgent affairs prest me to be gone without allowing me time to take my leave. San. Yes Sir.

1728 Street-robberies, Consider'd 15 Prithee call him, Child, said he, to me,..Yes, Sir, said I.

1767 E. Toms tr. C. Goldoni Accomplish'd Maid ii. 29 Run you, and find Sir John; tell him I wish to speak with him this instant. Finet. Yes, my lady.

1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) iv. 40 ‘Joe!’ ‘Yes, Sir.’

1859 J. Ruskin Two Paths iii. §82 Nay, but you will take Christian ornament—purest mediæval Christian—thirteenth century! Yes: and do you suppose you will find the Christian less human?

1905 Tom Watson's Mag. Mar. 81/1 ‘Baxter, some brandy and soda. Look sharp.’ ‘Yes, sir; thank you, sir,’ answered Baxter with spirit as he trotted out.

1961 R. A. Heinlein Stranger in Strange Land xiv. 131 ‘All right, go ahead. But talk to me later.’ ‘Yes, Jubal.’

1988 Spin Nov. 35 He would..say, ‘Come downstairs and show 'em how you play drums.’ I'd say, ‘OK, but only if I can have a day off from school,’ and he'd say, ‘Yes, OK, take a day off from school.’

2002 P. Collins Men from Boys 111 ‘You've got a real talent, son, but you have to respect it.’ ‘Yes, boss.’

b. Expressing agreement with a statement or implication.

ΘΠ

the mind > language > statement > assent > [adverb] > expression of assent > to statement or implication

yesa1375

a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1567 ‘Ȝe, wist y þat,’ seide william ‘witterly to speke, of alle harmes were ich hol...’ ‘Ȝis, be marie,’ seide meliors ‘misdrede ȝow neuer.’

c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 2079 ‘Be his kniȝtis as kene as me þis cornes shewis, All þe werd war to waike his wrothe to hbith stand [read with-stand].’..‘Ȝis, he ledis bot a lite lord, with ȝoure lefe..Bot mare fersere in feld fell neuire of modire.’

1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. lxxxii. sig. L.iii^v/1 We haue not sene none of our enemyes come in to this countrey, why sholde we be greued and haue done no fawte, yes yes sayd some let the bysshop of yorke be spoken withall and the kynges counsayle.

1633 S. Marmion Fine Compan. iv. vi. sig. I Spr. I heare she is runne mad. Aur. Is.

1688 T. D'Urfey Fool's Preferment iii. iv. 47 Aur. 'Twill be Diversion to see how our Court Sparks will ogle her Countrey Dress. Mar. Yes, Madam, and paddle in the Palm of her Hand.

1723 C. Walker Authentick Mem. Sally Salisbury 26 She would bring out a Word something like Abdication, in this manner, Yes, yes, Abdillication was of great use to you, &c.

1734 A. Pope Epist. to Visct. Cobham 1 Yes, you despise the Man to books confin'd, Who from his Study rails at human kind.

1819 P. B. Shelley Rosalind & Helen 7 Henry. This is not the way, Mamma; it leads behind those trees that grow Close to the little river. Helen. Yes: I know: I was bewildered.

1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) xiv. 146 ‘They must have been nice men, both of 'em.’..‘Yes, they were..very nice men indeed!’

1898 ‘H. S. Merriman’ Roden's Corner vii. 74 The exquisite sense of humour had also slightly evaporated. People said, ‘Oh yes, very funny,’ than which nothing is more fatal to humour.

1929 ‘H. Green’ Living (1931) x. 139 ‘I'm sorry Mr Bridges is ill!’ ‘Yes, it's a shame he's bad.’

1977 M. Frayn Donkeys' Years i, in Plays: One (1985) 96 Buckle. I can see we're going to have to watch our step tonight, Chris. Headingley. Yes, or we'll be right back in the People and the News of the World again.

2013 Nature 31 Oct. 716/1 ‘We're calling it “OwlPlex”... Sorry, marketing seemed to think the military would like it.’ Yes, I'm sure the military will like it.

c. Expressing concessive assent or agreement (sometimes sarcastically), before introducing an objection or qualification. Frequently in yes, but.

ΘΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > qualification > [adverb] > as concession

noweOE

wella1470

yes?1530

ah well1534

well now1550

indeed1563

oh well1582

(a) well a wella1779

the mind > language > statement > assent > [adverb] > expression of assent > concessive

yes?1530

?1530 Dialogue Comen Secretary & Ielowsy Ielowsy. She that hath a rollynge ey And doth conuey it, well and wysely..Trowe ye this trull wyll not be bought. Secretary. Yes, but take hede by the pryce ye haue noo losse.

1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice i. iii. 31 Iew... May I speake with Anthonio? Bass. Yf it please you to dine with vs. Iew. Yes, to smell porke.

1665 J. Wilson Projectors 228 Mrs. Got. Sirrah..look out and mind your business..Got. Good faith, I do. Mrs. Got. Yes, among your gills too much! What was that you said to our maid t' other night?

1732 H. Fielding Old Debauchees iii. viii. 36 Y. Lar. A fine Woman is as good a Bait for a Priest-trap, as toasted Cheese is for a Mouse-trap. Old Lar. Yes, but the Rascal will nibble off twenty Baits before you can take him.

1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xxii. 68 ‘Miss Ophelia has taught Topsy to read’, continued Eva. ‘Yes, and you see how much good it does.’

1865 ‘L. Carroll’ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland vii. 99 ‘It was the best butter.’.. ‘Yes, but some crumbs must have got in as well.’

1880 ‘M. Twain’ Tramp Abroad xxv. 247 One morning I said,—‘There is an American party.’ Harris said,—‘Yes,—but name the State.’

1920 D. H. Lawrence Touch & Go ii. 49 Anabel. That's rather mean of you. You should savvy, and let it go without saying. Gerald. Yes, but I don't savvy.

1998 Telegraph (Nashua, New Hampsh.) 21 July 23/1 Somers claims that getting fired from ‘Three's Company’ allowed her to find a deeper purpose in life. Well, yes—if you consider marketing the Thighmaster and Buttmaster deeply meaningful.

1999 Sunday Tasmanian (Nexis) 13 June The Government sent off a briefing note stating there might well have been ‘accidental access to the site while doing a search for legitimate purposes’. Yes, and I'm a monkey's auntie.

2015 Times 12 June 35/1 Somehow, it's hard to get quite so exercised about greedy bankers fixing Libor... Yes, OK, we can all claim to be victims—but not in a way that actually hurts.

3. Used in place of a subordinate clause expressing affirmation or assent, typically following a verb of thinking or implying. Cf. to say yes at Phrases 1, so adv. and conj. 2a, yea adv. 4.

ΘΠ

the mind > language > statement > affirmation and denial > [adverb] > standing for affirmative clause

yeaOE

yesa1393

the mind > language > statement > assent > [adverb] > expression of assent > standing for clause expressing assent

yesa1393

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. l. 854 (MED) ‘Mi fader, I not what it is.’ ‘In good feith, Sone, I trowe yis.’ ‘Mi fader, nay, bot ye me lere.’

?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 116 (MED) Seest þou not now..þat..riȝtwise men ben at moore ese in soule þan synneris? I trowe ȝhis, for þou hast now seie þe lyuynge & þe endyng of boþe.

c1460 Tree & 12 Frutes (McClean) (1960) 100 (MED) Is it not a gret rest of hert..to put oute..al noyses of erthely desires?..I trow yis.

c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) ix. 24 Then Huon..demandyd yf he myght ryde or not, ‘brother’ quod Gerarde ‘I thynke yes.’

1580 R. Parsons Brief Disc. f. 28^v Wold we esteem schismatiques or not, Yf theye had dyed soe?.. I..thinke yes.

1634 J. Canne Necessitie of Separation v. 218 His wordes import positively no, but we are sure yes.

1747 J. Smith Chronicon Rusticum-commerciale I. xxiii. 113 Would Goods in that Case from beyond Seas be brought as good cheap after the same Rate? A man would think yes.

1843 T. Carlyle Past & Present iii. xv. 309 Thou shalt not disobey them. It were better for thee not. Better a hundred deaths than yes.

1875 Galaxy July 21/2 ‘What did she say?’ ‘Well, she didn't say no.’ ‘Did she imply yes?’ ‘She did—I think so—in a sort of way.’

1908 Post-office Appropriation Bill, 1909: Hearings before Subcomm. No. 1 of Comm. on Post-office & Post-roads (U.S. House of Representatives, 60th Congr., 1st Sess.) 36 The Chairman. You would be able to get along next year with 15 less men even if there were no increase of salary? Mr. Vickery. Well, I suspect yes, but the increase of salaries would make the work better.

1929 Logansport (Indiana) Pharos-Tribune 18 Jan. 9/2 She has received an offer to sing in eight operas in Quebec..and to make a short talky-singing picture. She hasn't decided yes or no.

1997 Independent 13 May i. 20/7 He..instructed his underlings to figure out whether the regulators would allow the deal. They thought yes, and the rest is history.

4. Used as an intensifier, esp. to emphasize or strengthen the speaker's own preceding statement, or to introduce a more emphatic or comprehensive statement.

ΘΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adverb] > outstandingly > emphasizing previous statement

yesc1400

indeed1535

indeedy1856

c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 635 (MED) Why schulde he not her labour alow, Ȝys, and pay hym at þe fyrst fyne?

a1425 (a1400) Northern Pauline Epist. (1916) Rom. iii. 29 (MED) Wheþer of Iewys only god is formere; wheþer he be not of þe folc, ȝis, and of þe folc?

?1496 Earl Rivers tr. Cordyal (de Worde) f. xv^v/1 Shall not my short dayes breefly fynysshe, yes in trouthe The lyfe present is right shorte.

1589 in T. Cottesford Two Godly & Comfortable Lett. sig. C9^v Is it not a greate shame, yes, it is vtterlye against nature, that the Sheepe should be wiser and better learned then the sheephearde.

1610 J. Healey tr. St. Augustine Citie of God i. v. 10 Let vs goe to the Romanes themselues: yes; I say, let vs obserue the Romanes themselues.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) ii. ii. 102 Surely I thinke you haue charmes, la: yes in truth.

1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII i. ii. 177 I say, take heed; Yes, heartily beseech you.

1700 W. Congreve Way of World v. i. 72 I'll couple you, Yes, I'll baste you together, you and your Philander.

1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield II. iii. 62 ‘Ah, madam,’ cried her mother, ‘this is but a poor place you are come to after so much finery... Yes, Miss Livy, your poor father and I have suffered very much of late.’

1795 J. Wolcot Royal Tour ii. 17 Iss, iss, he'll do the feat.

1810 G. Crabbe Borough xxii. 299 His Father's Love he scorn'd,..But being drunk, wept sorely when he died. Yes! then he wept.

1867 G. Meredith Vittoria I. iv. 52 ‘He rendered payment for it,’ said Agostino. ‘He perished; yes! as we shake dust to the winds.’

1888 ‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Children ii. 17 He was living a month ago, and drunk enough to knock me down. Yes, me..me with a babe of a month old.

1902 J. Chamberlain in Times 7 Jan. 4/4 It is the duty of the British people to count upon themselves alone... I say alone, yes, in a splendid isolation.

1917 ‘O. Douglas’ Setons ix. 127 So of course I didn't like you. Yes, that's the kind of jealous creature I am.

1943 A. Rand Fountainhead ii. ix. 321 It is wiser to select a profession about which you can be calm, sane and matter-of-fact. Yes, even if you hate it. It makes for down-to-earthness.

2003 S. Brown Free Gift Inside! 241 His signature style of humbuggery, which swindled—yes, swindled—people in a playful, preposterous, pranksterish, and (extremely) profitable way.

5. Used interrogatively to express a desire for further information or to indicate that a speaker should continue: ‘and?’, ‘go on’. Hence as an inquiry addressed to a person waiting in silence: ‘what is it?’ ‘what do you want?’. Also used as a mere expression of interest: ‘indeed?’ ‘is that so?’.

ΘΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > [adverb] > indicating a question > seeking information

yes1842

the mind > language > statement > assent > [adverb] > expression of assent > provisional

yes1842

1842 C. Dickens Amer. Notes I. iv. 147 If you are an Englishman, he expects that that railroad is pretty much like an English railroad. If you say ‘No,’ he says ‘Yes?’ (interrogatively), and asks in what respect they differ. You enumerate the heads of difference, one by one, and he says ‘Yes?’ (still interrogatively) to each.

1858 O. W. Holmes Autocrat of Breakfast-table i. 18 My landlady's daughter... Tender-eyed blonde. Long ringlets... Says ‘Yes?’ when you tell her anything.

1858 O. W. Holmes Autocrat of Breakfast-table i. 21 ‘I was only laying down a principle of social diagnosis.’ ‘Yes?’

1898 Punch 16 Apr. 173/1 After a few moments I was joined by a gentleman... ‘Yes?’ he said, in a tone of interrogation.

1903 E. W. Hamilton Strawberry Leaves 304 ‘Well, I didn't mean in weight; I mean in—’ ‘Yes?’ ‘Well, in rippingness.’

1983 C. Thomas Firefox Down (1984) i. 12 ‘Sir!’ ‘Yes?’ he answered hoarsely.

1997 I. Rankin Black & Blue (1998) ix. 135 A small elderly man, very trim, with a black moustache and jam-jar glasses, was marching towards Rebus. ‘Yes, can I help you?’

2004 A. Greig In Another Light (2005) 200 ‘Because it's a clear night..and because..’ ‘Yes?’ ‘Because I'm a ratbag who can say sorry better outdoors.’

6. colloquial. As a question-tag at the end of a sentence, inviting agreement, approval, or confirmation: ‘isn't that so?’, ‘am I not correct?’, etc.Often in representations of the speech of those for whom English is not a first language.

ΚΠ

1924 ‘W. Fabian’ Sailors' Wives v. 74 The sexperts, which is a combination of sex and expert: I glued it together myself. Not so dim; yes?

1942 E. Ferber Saratoga Trunk (new ed.) vi. 105 I speak like a true vacher, yes?

1996 E. L. Harry Society of Mind xv. 366 As the heavy blast door closed on the group ahead, a woman with a French accent said, ‘This is built very much for security, yes?’

2015 A. Mulligan Liquidator 81 If you don't want people looking at your files, you encrypt them—yes? Then if your laptop gets stolen, no one gets access.

B. n.

An utterance of the word ‘yes’; an affirmative answer or decision; an indication of assent. Cf. no n.¹ 2.

ΘΠ

the mind > language > statement > affirmation and denial > [noun] > affirmative reply

yeac1390

yes1533

affirmative1961

the mind > language > statement > assent > [noun] > word or expression of assent

yeac1390

yes1533

placet1589

amen1609

yeaword1810

1533 T. More 2nd Pt. Confut. Tyndals Answere vii. p. cclxxxii He sayth styll yes, wyth as myche profe in his yes, as a gose hath in her hysse.

1629 J. Mabbe tr. C. de Fonseca Deuout Contempl. xxi. 368 The Gibeonites..spinning out a Yes verily, and euerie other word they deliuer, to it's ful length.

1652 tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote (new ed.) iv. xlv. f. 218 I answered with more yesses, till wee came to five, and even now hee came for them, I give them him.

1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 266. ⁋4 Her innocent forsooths, yes's, and't please you's..moved the good old Lady to..hire her for her own Maid.

1805 R. Southey Madoc i. xvii. 170 Madoc, smiling on the Maid,..lightly gave the yes.

a1816 R. B. Sheridan in Sheridaniana (1826) 62 No pearly teeth rejoice my view, Unless a ‘yes’ displays their hue.

1840 W. M. Thackeray Shabby Genteel Story v, in Fraser's Mag. Aug. 233/1 Dear yeses and noes, how beautiful you are when gently whispered by pretty lips!

1867 G. Meredith Vittoria I. ii. 21 ‘Said yes!’ he remarked. ‘He might say no, for a diversion. He has yeses enough in his pay to earn a Cardinal's hat.’

1919 V. Eliot Let. 3 Oct. in T. S. Eliot Lett. (1988) I. 338 Would I go? Yes. A thousand yeses.

1954 Challenge Oct. 57/2 Those corporate officers whose decisions determine whether plants are closed or expanded. Their ‘yes’ means jobs, and their ‘no’ is echoed and re-echoed by smaller businessmen all over the nation.

1987 R. Hall Kisses of Enemy (1990) 3 Wind ripped the advertised arguments for Yes and No off their hoardings and sent them gusting into the air.

1992 Cosmopolitan June 60/1 Your body language was a chorus of yeses, but I distinctly heard the word no.

2001 Advocate 27 Mar. 39/1 Are you in a relationship now? That is none of your business. Ok, I'll take that as a yes.

C. int.

An exclamation of pleasure or excitement in response to a fortuitous outcome or discovery.

1977 R. G. Vliet Solitudes vii. 103 Oh my dear. Mouth stuck to mouth...Yes. Oh my God yes.

1980 M. Thelwell Harder they Come (1996) vi. 177 He..reached into the watch pocket of his pants. Yes! In his hand was..the card Miss Daisy had given him.

1999 XXL Basketball Aug. 94/2 Despite his obvious talent, much of the time you could hear Hill screaming: ‘No, no, no...yes. Yeeesss!!!’ From poor shot to highlight play.

2003 K. Daswani For Matrimonial Purposes (U.K. ed.) 52 The other day, I..read some of the pages in my journal from last year: ‘Yes! Got the last Kate Spade bag in the Barneys sale!’

2009 J. Kraut & S. Lester Hot Mess xxv. 330 ‘Ahhh! Yes!’ Rachel yelped and fist-pumped from behind her laptop.

Phrases

P1. to say yes: to assent or agree to something; spec. to accept a proposal of marriage.In many instances difficult to distinguish from the simple reporting of a reply using the actual word yes.

ΘΠ

the mind > language > statement > assent > [verb (intransitive)]

ensentc1290

accordc1300

to say yesa1400

senta1400

to say yeac1425

condescend1477

subscribe1531

accede1534

to take a person at his (also her) word1535

homologatea1649

to close with1654

to set one's seal1659

yes1820

yea-say1876

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > proposal of marriage > propose marriage [verb (intransitive)] > accept

to say yesa1400

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 17203 I aske þe grace, þu sais me ‘ȝeis’.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) ii. v. 91 I cannot hate thee worser then I do, If thou againe say yes .

1691 tr. P. O. de Vaumorière Art of Pleasing in Conversat. iv. 77 We may observe one [Complaisance], which may be called Universal, which makes men say, Yes, to all sorts of things, without distinction.

1747 H. Walpole Let. 28 July in Corr. (1954) XIX. 428 Bergenopzoom still holds out, and is the first place that has not said yes, the moment the French asked it the question.

1756 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 535/2 Come, let's to the church, and share conjugal bliss, To prevent being teiz'd, I was forc'd to say Yes.

1883 D. C. Murray Hearts (1885) xiv. 111 She'd never say ‘Yes’ to a man she didn't care for.

1914 St. Nicholas May 605/2 If one makes it a rule to say ‘yes’ to everything, he is weak.

1962 Star-News (Pasadena, Calif.) 1 Mar. 19/1 Am I unfair to him or myself if I say yes to him? I have a good position, as he has and I think we could be very good companions.

1999 P. Jooste Frieda & Min 18 When Dr Tom asked her to marry him she didn't say yes straight away.

2012 Independent 18 Feb. (Mag.) 27/2 If someone wanted to film another one of my books I'd say yes like a shot.

P2.

a. yes and no: (in answer to a question which does not have a definitive or unequivocal answer) partly and partly not; perhaps, to a certain degree.

ΘΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > exclamations of doubt [interjection]

humh1603

goodness1623

umph1800

humph1815

yes and no1825

1825 J. Bentham Observ. Mr. Peel's Speech 9 This constancy of attendance, is it not then paid by the present gentlemen? Answer, as before, yes and no.

1873 C. M. Yonge Pillars of House I. vii. 154 ‘Do you come from his father?’ ‘Well—yes and no. His father is still in Oregon; but he and I have always been one.’

1896 ‘M. Rutherford’ Clara Hopgood xxii. 212 I said ‘yes and no’ and there is another side.

1933 W. S. Maugham Sheppey iii. 75 Bessie:..Expecting somebody? Florrie: Yes and no.

1964 ‘R. Petrie’ Murder by Precedent v. 78 ‘That's why you gave him a home?’ he asked. ‘Well yes and no.’

1981 B. Murphy Enigma Variations xiii. 137 ‘Do you believe that if you continue seeing me you'll be damned?’ ‘Yes and no.’

2005 Personal Computer World Feb. 16/2 Is the device pictured below a media player? Well, yes and no.

b. Yes and No: a parlour game in which participants ask questions (answered by either ‘yes’ or ‘no’) to identify a chosen person or thing (see quot. 1854). Cf. twenty questions n. at twenty adj. and n. Compounds 4. Now historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > parlour and party games > [noun] > question and answer games

purposec1380

questions and commands1628

cross-purposes1666

cross-questions and crooked answers1742

Yes and No1843

truth1868

clumps1883

truth game1908

1843 C. Dickens Christmas Carol iii. 113 It was a Game called Yes and No, where Scrooge's nephew had to think of something, and the rest must find out what; he only answering to their questions yes or no as the case was.

1854 Round Games (ed. 2) 111 Yes and No. This game..was formerly called Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral. A player was sent out of the room, and a word (or rather thing) thought of. The player was called in, and proceeded to ask certain members of the company to which of the three kingdoms—animal, vegetable, or mineral—the object in question belonged... He then proceeded to ask other questions, to which the players were only compelled to answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

1863 Eagle (St John's College, Cambr.) 3 194 They played ‘Yes and No’, and ‘American Post’.

1904 F. Kingsland In & Out Door Games 86 Yes and No... One of the party leaves the room. In his absence the rest choose a subject.

2012 S. Grace Lady Amelia's Mess & Half xxv. 282 Mr. Tucker drew out the last word, looking expectantly at her as if they were playing a round of Yes and No, her least favorite parlor game.

P3. yes, sir, no, sir, three bags full and variants: used to imply servile compliance with the demands of another, esp. a superior. With allusion to the nursery rhyme Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, which has been frequently altered to satirize various forms of political corruption since the early 19th cent.In quot. 1847 in figurative context with reference to shepherding.

1847 Bombay Times 11 Aug. 635/2 As to wool, let eighty-six flock come up here, and it will soon be able to answer in the words well known to..those who commit depredations upon us,—‘yes, master, three bags' full.’

1916 Kemmel Times 3 July in Wipers Times: Compl. Series (2006) 101 Thomas Atkins with his famous song: Yes, sir! Yes, sir! Three bags full.

1974 D. Clement & I. La Frenais Porridge: Scripts (2002) 1st Ser. Episode 5. 108/2 You have to learn to turn the other cheek. Yes sir, no sir, three bags full, sir.

1998 P. Jooste Dance with Poor Man's Daughter (1999) i. 27 Other people took the jobs that were offered to them and were grateful. They could say, ‘Yes, boss. No, boss. Three bags full, boss’ and it wasn't the end of the world.

2003 A. O. Mitha Unlikely Beginnings xix. 293 He was a person who rarely had a good word for..those senior to him, and yet when he was with them he was all, ‘yes, sir, no sir, three bags full, sir.’

P4.

yes-or-no adj. answerable by or definable in terms of a simple affirmation or negation; = yes-no adj. 2; cf. more or less at more adv. 3a.

ΘΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [adjective] > definite or determinate > determining or defining > of questions, decisions, etc.

yes-or-no1888

yes-no1898

1888 Boston Post 26 Jan. Mr. Quincy replied that he was not ready to give a yes or no answer to that question.

1911 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Jrnl.-Gaz. 12 Feb. 16/3 When Jones had flatly declined to answer a yes-or-no question the compass of the opposition to the inquiry had also been boxed.

1961 F. W. Householder in S. Saporta & J. R. Bastian Psycholinguistics 17/1 Beside this graded kind of ‘grammaticalness’..there is also an absolute yes-or-no type.

1964 M. A. K. Halliday et al. Ling. Sci. v. 124 But this, like synonymy, is a ‘more or less’ not a ‘yes or no’ relation.

1976 H. Kemelman Wednesday Rabbi got Wet xlvi. 257 The law is not a yes-or-no thing.

1979 Economist 16 June 98/2 Whitehall's traditional passion for compromise only makes for trouble in a crisis which needs yes-or-no decisions, fast.

2005 Real Simple June 192/2 Try not to go on a lawyer-like attack with a litany of yes-or-no questions.

P5. U.S. yes, Virginia, there is a —— (and variants): used to introduce a statement affirming the existence or truth of something, sometimes implying that this should have been self-evident.With allusion to quot. 1897, an editorial by Francis P. Church in response to a letter from eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon, who had asked whether Santa Claus was real; the practice of reprinting the editorial during the Christmas season became a popular tradition.In quot. 1927 as the headline of an article announcing the birth of O'Hanlon's child.

ΚΠ

1897 Sun (N.Y.) 21 Sept. 6/3 Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.]

1914 San Francisco Chron. 21 Mar. 1/2 (headline) Yes, Virginia, there is also a stork.

1927 Life 26 May 27/3 (headline) Yes, Virginia, there is an Elmer [Gantry].

1954 J. Kerr & E. Brooke King of Hearts i. 46 Yes, Virginia, your little friends are wrong. There is a Ford Foundation.

1970 J. Bouton Ball Four vii. 342 Yes, Virginia, baseball players watch the scoreboard.

2017 Eureka (Calif.) Times-Standard (Nexis) 16 Apr. 17 Yes, Virginia, there are jobs and careers you can plan for right here in Humboldt.

P6. humorous. yes way: used as a response to ‘no way’ (no way int. 1), to emphasize the truth of an initial statement. Cf. way int.¹ 2.

ΚΠ

1975 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 3 July 41/8 But the larger girl answered, with even greater emphasis..‘Yes way.’

1984 C. Matheson & E. Solomon Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (film script, 1st draft) (Calif. Inst. Arts) 18 (Bill and Ted are utterly shocked. Finally:) Bill. Who are you guys? New Ted. We're you, dude! Ted. No way. No way. New Ted. Yes way, Ted.

1998 L. Sutherland Jelly Roll xi. 268 He's stayin at home tae get in a wee bit practice an he's comin on Wednesday.—No way.—Yes way.

2009 D. Nicholls One Day (2010) iv. 64 ‘You can have that back 'n' all.’ She tossed a tightly wadded ten-pound note onto his chest. ‘No way.’ ‘Yes way.’

P7. Ugandan English. yes please: used to express affirmation or agreement; ‘that's right’, ‘exactly’. [Apparently after Luganda bambi bambi adv.]

2010 Daily Monitor (Kampala) 3 Oct. 3/4 You might ask a passerby if Lumumba Avenue is ahead. Even if he does not know, he will still reply: Yes please!

2020 @IsmailH_256 28 Oct. 2020 in twitter.com (accessed 28 Oct. 2020) [In response to I think you'll do better next season.] Yes please @jkwasikye... This is our trial phase and definitely will do well next season.

Compounds

yes-sayer n. = yea-sayer n.

1846 tr. G. D. Krummacher in Christian Treasury 13 Feb. 603/1 The disciples at Jerusalem were not satisfied with a mere yes-sayer, or assenter to anything.

1920 H. L. Mencken in E. Muir We Moderns (Amer. ed.) Introd. 12 The ideal man is..the Nietzschean Ja-sager, the yes-sayer, facing destiny courageously and a bit proudly, living to the full the life that lies within his grasp in the present.

2017 Independent (Nexis) 21 Apr. (Letters section) She will not tolerate any opposing views... Only she and her henchmen, yes-sayers (and poodles?) know and will decide.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	yes
释义	yesv. Brit. /jɛs/, U.S. /jɛs/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: yes adv. Etymology: < yes adv. Compare earlier yea v. Compare also no v. 1. intransitive. To say ‘yes’; to agree or assent to something. Cf. no v. 1. ΘΠ the mind > language > statement > assent > [verb (intransitive)] ensentc1290 accordc1300 to say yesa1400 senta1400 to say yeac1425 condescend1477 subscribe1531 accede1534 to take a person at his (also her) word1535 homologatea1649 to close with1654 to set one's seal1659 yes1820 yea-say1876 1820 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 8 271 Thy hat low dangling from thy better hand, Yes-ing and No-ing to the great man's will. 1891 J. K. Stephen Quo Musa Tendis? 56 I don't know what we talked about; I smiled; the same old smile: I ‘yes'd’ and ‘no'd’ and ‘really'd’, till I thought he must discover That I was listening to the band. 1928 Sunday State Jrnl. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 25 Feb. b12/2 We ‘yessed’ and went our way. 1994 M. Ross Kernow & Daughter iii. 293 ‘Heaven knows why a woman “Noes”!’ Clarrie nodded glumly. ‘And why she “Yesses” in the end.’ 2001 M. Blake 24 Karat Schmooze iii. 34 For the next ten minutes, she yessed and noed and all-righted until Ally rang off. 2. transitive. U.S. To say ‘yes’ to; to agree with or assent to; to behave in an obsequious or ingratiating manner towards. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > humility > servility > be servile to [verb (transitive)] fawna1568 comply1641 sneak1665 spaniel1812 yessir1898 yes1915 ass-kiss1951 cocksuck1954 ass-lick1962 crawl1966 the mind > language > statement > assent > [verb (transitive)] cordc1380 to give handsa1425 to fall to ——a1450 agree1472 to go into ——1540 astipulate1548 subscribe1560 seal1579 suffragate1606 give1621 assent1637 homologate1644 to take up with1673 affirmative1775 chorus1836 yea-say1887 yes1915 1915 N.Y. Evening Jrnl. 22 June 12/1 They'll yes him out of house and home. 1918 Clearfield (Pa.) Progress 26 Oct. 2/1 They have ‘yessed’ McCormick's bond issue opposition. 1919 Bridgeport (Connecticut) Standard Telegram 14 May 10 We ‘yessed’ him occasionally, and he was very willing to continue talking. 1933 Times Lit. Suppl. 23 Nov. 844/2 For Mr. Leonard..there is no fun in life as lived in the United States. Too much work..yessing the boss and dud liquor. 1945 S. Lewis Cass Timberlane xvi. 89 A lot of bums are always yessing you..but me and Boone are good-enough friends to tell you the truth. 1983 N.Y. Times 23 Oct. 19/6 Mr. Reagan..is unable to get his proposal off the ground..; his aids yes him to death with plans. 2004 P. Biskind Down & Dirty Pictures 10 Used to being flattered, deferred to, and yessed, he mistrusted the people around him. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online December 2021). yesadv.n.int. Brit. /jɛs/, U.S. /jɛs/ Inflections: Plural yes's, yeses, yesses. Forms: α. Old English gise, Old English ise (Northumbrian), Middle English ȝhis, Middle English ȝise, Middle English ȝisse, Middle English ȝys, Middle English yhis, Middle English yijs, Middle English yys, Middle English–1500s ȝis, Middle English–1500s (1800s– Irish English and U.S. regional) yis, 1500s yisse, 1500s ys, 1500s–1600s is; English regional 1700s– iss (chiefly south-western and west midlands), 1800s hiss (south-western), 1800s– yis; also Scottish pre-1700 ȝhis, pre-1700 ȝis, pre-1700 ȝys, pre-1700 yhis, pre-1700 1800s–1900s yis, 1900s yiss (Shetland). β. Old English–early Middle English gyse, early Middle English gyese, Middle English ȝeus, Middle English ȝus, Middle English ȝuse, Middle English yus; English regional 1800s e-us (southern); also Scottish pre-1700 ȝhus; see also yus adv. γ. late Old English gese, Middle English ȝeis, Middle English ȝes, Middle English ȝeysse, Middle English yesse, Middle English– yes, 1500s–1600s yeas, 1900s ace (U.S. regional); English regional 1800s eece, 1800s eeece, 1800s eese (southern), 1800s eess (south-western), 1800s– ees, 1800s– eez (southern), 1900s 'ees (south-western), 1900s 'es (south-western), 1900s es (south-western), 1900s ess (south-western); also Scottish pre-1700 ȝais, pre-1700 ȝeis, pre-1700 ȝes, pre-1700 yes; N.E.D. (1921) also records late Middle English yhes; see also yas adv., yayus adv., yerse adv. Origin: Of uncertain origin. Apparently formed within English, by compounding. Etymon: yea adv. Etymology: Apparently < yea adv. (or its Germanic base) + a second element of uncertain and disputed origin, probably adding emphasis to the affirmation and apparently causing i-mutation. The word has no close cognates outside English nor any clear parallels in the older Germanic languages. Old English gīse (already attested in this form in early West Saxon; late West Saxon gȳse : see α. and β. forms) seems to reflect an unattested early West Saxon form gīese , with i-mutation of ēa . This has been explained as reflecting earlier gēasī < gēa yea adv. + sī , 3rd singular present subjunctive of bēon be v. (see Forms 3a(i)δ. ), although the motivation for a subjunctive form is unclear (see note). Compare the apparently similarly formed Old English nese no (in Northumbrian also as næse , etc. and once as næsi ), where the first element is ne ne adv.¹ For a similarly used compound of the Germanic base of yea adv. with a different second element (also of uncertain and disputed origin), compare Old Icelandic jaur . Compare yea adv., aye adv.In Old English the word is typically attested in contexts in which affirmation contrasts with a preceding negative statement or question (compare senses A. 1a, A. 1b); the fact that the subjunctive would not be expected in this context has led some to suggest that the extant evidence already shows a generalization of an earlier more specific use in which the subjunctive was motivated as expressing a wish or the like (compare later sense A. 2). An alternative derivation < gēa swā , lit. ‘yea, so’ (compare so adv. and conj.) has also been suggested, but would pose phonological problems, as the apparent i-mutation would be unexplained. For a detailed discussion of the evidence and a proposed derivation < gēa (hit) is swā , lit. ‘yea, it is so’, see P. Wallage & W. van der Wurff in Anglo-Saxon England 42 (2013) 183–215. Modern standard English yes (see γ. forms) is apparently a shortened reflex of unattested Anglian (Mercian) gēse . Some of the later α. forms may reflect Middle English γ. forms with raising of e to i between a palatal and a dental. The resultant pronunciation /jɪs/ is not only widespread regionally, but was formerly current in standard English alongside /jɛs/ (compare e.g. Walker's Pronouncing Dict.* (1791) at cited word). With use as noun compare the following isolated earlier use of the Old English phrase ge gīse ge nese ‘(a matter of) both yes and no’:eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xlii. 308 Wene ge nu ðæt ic ænigre leohtmodnesse bruce, oððe ðætte ic ðence æfter woruldluste, oððe wene ge ðæt ægðer sie mid me ge gise ge nese? A. adv. 1. a. Expressing an affirmative reply to a question involving a negative, e.g. ‘Didn't you enjoy it?’ ‘Yes (I did enjoy it)’.In older usage yes was usually considered to be the proper affirmative reply to a question framed in the negative, whereas yea (yea adv. 1a) was considered the proper affirmative reply when the question was framed in the positive (cf. sense A. 1c); a similar distinction was made between no and nay. This distinction became obsolete soon after 1600, and since then yes has been the ordinary affirmative reply to any question positive or negative, and yea has become archaic. The distinction was still observed in the King James Bible (1611), in which yes occurs four times (all in the New Testament), always after a negative question or statement; the revisers of 1881, apparently in ignorance of the usage, altered it in all these instances to yea (see, e.g., quot. 1611). Π OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xvii. 25 Þa þæt gafol namon..þus cwædon: Eower lareow ne gylt he gafol? Þa cwæð he: Gyse, he deð. lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. xvi. 276 Wenst ðu þæt se godcunda anweald ne mihte afyrran þone anweald þam unrihtwisan kasere..gif he wolde? Gise, la gese; ic wat þæt he mihte gif he wolde. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 287 Ne muchte he wið lesse gref habben arud us. ȝes iwis [a1250 Titus ȝuse I wis, a1250 Nero ȝe siker]. c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 147 (MED) Nys nys [read þys] god laȝe? Ȝes, y-wys, god laȝe hys. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5208 ‘How sua, es þar na noþer king?’ ‘Yus [Gött. Ȝes], bot he dus nakins thing.’ ?a1430 Compleynte Virgin (Huntington) l. 101 in Minor Poems T. Hoccleve (1970) i. 3 Myn hertes greef, moot I nat weepe? O yis! ?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 276 Thynk ȝe not he is worthy to dey. Et clamabant omnes ȝys, ȝys, ȝys. Alle we seye, his is worthy to dey, ȝa ȝa ȝa. a1500 (?c1450) Merlin iii. 54 ‘Haue ye no mynde of the sarazins..?’ And thei seide, ‘Yesse, full wele.’ 1533 T. More Debellacyon Salem & Bizance ii. xvi. f. lxxxiii Wolde not the iudges trowe you geue them the herynge? yes yes I dowte not. 1545 G. Joye Expos. Daniel (iii.) f. 38^v Did we not cast thre men bownde into the fyer? which answerd, yisse trwly oh kynge. 1611 Bible (King James) Rom. iii. 29 Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes [1881 R.V. Yea], of the Gentiles also . View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) ii. i. 115 Val. What meanes your Ladiship? Doe you not like it? Sil. Yes, yes . View more context for this quotation 1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vi. 255 Was not the hand of the Almighty..able also, to drowne their..plaines with water? Yes and doubtlesse yes. 1646 H. Vaughan tr. Juvenal 10th Satyre 485 But thy spruce boy must touch no other face Then a Patrician? Is of any race So they be rich. 1727 D. Hume Let. 4 July (1932) I. 9 But would you not in the same manner have lent your own? Yes. Then Why this Ceremony & Goodbreeding? 1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1779 II. 301 B. ‘Is not the Giant's Causeway worth seeing?’—J. ‘Worth seeing, yes; but not worth going to see.’ 1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iii. xvi. 141 ‘You never can have walked, my dear?’ ‘Yes, I have.’ 1886 E. L. Dorsey Midshipman Bob ii. xi. 219 ‘Don't you get mad ever, eh?’.. ‘Yes, I'm sorry to say I do.’ 1954 C. P. Snow New Men iv. xxviii. 206 ‘Don't you like extravagant people?’ she asked. ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Unless it comes too near home.’ 2005 Good Weekend (Austral.) 20 Aug. 17/1 It can't be for real? Actually, yes it can, and the process isn't that complicated. b. Used to contradict or disagree with a negative statement expressed or implied, e.g. ‘You didn't enjoy it.’ ‘Yes, I did.’The negative statement may be coupled with a negative command or request, expressed or implied (cf. quots. OE¹, 1911).Now usually accompanied by a short asseverative phrase echoing the preceding statement; e.g. in quot. a1616¹, modern usage would require ‘Yes, it was.’ ΘΠ the mind > language > statement > affirmation and denial > [adverb] > as an affirmative answer > in answer to negative question or statement > in contradiction of negative statement yesOE yea1561 OE tr. Gospel of Nicodemus (Cambr.) iv. §2. 161 Pilatus..cwæð to hym dygollice: ‘Ne do ge na swa for þan ic nan yfel on hym næbbe gemet...’ Þa cwædon þa ealdras..to Pilate: ‘Gise, swa hwylc man swa wyðersacað þam casere he byð deaðes scyldig’. OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) iv. ii. 262 Petrus cwæð: ‘..ic næfre ær þis nyste, þæt ungeleaffull man hæfde geleafan’. Gregorius him andswarode: ‘gyse, þa ungeleaffullan habbað geleafan’. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 8589 Þa andswarede þe king Mærlin þu sæist sællic þing. þe nauere nan iboren mon ne maie heom bringgen þenne... hu mihte ich heom þenne heom bringen þeonne. Þa andswerede Mærlin þan kinge..Ȝuse ȝuse lauerd king. c1300 St. Theophilus (Laud) l. 125 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 291 ‘Leuedi, merci,’ Teofle seide, ‘vnwuyrþe ich am..swuch schrift to him do.’ ‘Ȝus, hardiliche,’ ore leuedi seide, ‘for he is milde and softe.’ a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 5066 We ar noȝt of a kithe saide he. ȝus þat salle I shew to þe. a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) l. 3354 ‘Þis childe rose vp, and alyue he ys.’..‘Ȝe,’ quod þe kyng, ‘he nasnot dede þo, y-wys.’ ‘Ȝeysse, for god,’ quod þe knyȝt, ‘dede he was & his body golde.’ ‘Ȝoye, sire,’ quod þe archebisshop.., ‘Mony grette meracle þis mayden has do.’ ‘Ȝe, syre archebysshop, holde þou þy clappe! For y ȝeue no by-leue þerto.’ a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 44 ‘How sholdist thou know hit? For thou arte nat so olde of yerys to know my fadir.’ ‘Yes,’ seyde Merlyon, ‘I know hit bettir than ye or ony man lyvynge.’ a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 252 Then..þe Iewe..sayde hit was not soo. ‘Ȝeus,’ quod þe cristyn man. 1554 D. Lindsay Dialog Experience & Courteour iv. sig. Q.ii^v We neuer saw thyne excellence Subdewit to sic Indigence Ȝis (sall he [sc. Christ] say)..Quhen euer ȝe did ressaue the pure. a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. iv. 48 Post... My Quarrell was not altogether slight. French. Faith yes, to be put to the arbiterment of Swords. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) ii. ii. 50 Isab. Must he needs die? Ang. Maiden, no remedie. Isab. Yes: I doe thinke that you might pardon him. View more context for this quotation 1725 N. Bailey tr. Erasmus Colloq. 70 I believe it has not struck five yet. Bo. Yes, it is a good while past five. 1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1779 II. 301 Boswell. ‘You did not know what you was undertaking.’ Johnson. ‘Yes, Sir, I knew very well what I was undertaking.’ 1852 B. Disraeli Ld. G. Bentinck xxvi. 539 ‘You do not know what the Derby is,’ he moaned out. ‘Yes, I do; it is the blue ribbon of the turf.’ 1880 ‘M. Twain’ Tramp Abroad xxvii. 281 ‘I did not know he ever preached there.’ ‘O, yes he did.’ 1911 G. B. Shaw Getting Married in Doctor's Dilemma 291 Youre not coming home with me. Hotchkiss..: Yes I am. Mrs. George: No. Hotchkiss: Yes. Think again. 1975 J. Symons Three Pipe Probl. xviii. 194 He asked what she would do now. ‘Don't worry about me, I'm a survivor.’ ‘But you cannot go now. In the fog.’ ‘Oh yes, I can. Goodbye, Willie.’ 2005 A. Fine Raking Ashes vii. 96 ‘It wasn't me,’ he wailed. Tears swelled and splashed. ‘Yes it was, daftie.’ c. Expressing an affirmative reply to a question which doesn't involve a negative, e.g. ‘Did you enjoy it?’ ‘Yes (I did enjoy it)’. Cf. no adv.² 1a.Formerly usually more emphatic than yea or aye; in later use, in standard English, yes replaced these words as the ordinary affirmative reply to a question framed in the positive; cf. note at sense A. 1a. ΘΠ the mind > language > statement > assent > [adverb] > expression of assent yesOE yeaOE soa1400 toa1525 very well1529 yus1775 yerse1862 yeah1863 yeh1868 orright1874 yep1883 yup1887 ayuh1894 yairs1896 yayus1900 yip1906 too right1919 quite1924 the mind > language > statement > affirmation and denial > [adverb] > as an affirmative answer > in answer to question not involving negative yesOE yeaOE just so1655 the mind > language > statement > affirmation and denial > [adverb] > as an affirmative answer > in answer to negative question or statement > in answer to negative question yesOE OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) i. 181 Hwi, wolde God swa lytles þinges him forwyrnan..? Gyse, hu mihte Adam tocnawan hwæt he wære, buton he wære gehyrsum on sumum þincge his hlaforde? a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 31 Hwat seist þu, Dauið? Hafst þu aniȝe sikernesse herof?.. ‘Ȝise,’ he seið, ‘we bieð all siker of godes behate.’ a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 4483 ‘Cleymeþ he after cloþes..? deceyue me nouȝt..but seie me þe soþe.’ ‘Ȝis, bi crist..cloþes he askes.’ a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1882) VIII. 313 Of þis erle..is ofte greet stryf.., wheþer he schulde be acounted for seyntes oþer none. Some seyn ȝis [c1400 Tiber. ȝus, c1410 BL Add. ȝys, 1482 Caxton yes]... Oþer seien þe contrarie. Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 539 Ȝys, ita, eciam. 1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) iv. 470 ‘Ȝhis [1487 St. John's Cambr. ȝai],’ said a woman, ‘Schyr, perfay, Off strang men I kan ȝow say.’ 1517 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1928) xxxiii. 171 Haue you hym sene in ony tyme before Yes yes quod she. 1583 C. Hollyband Campo di Fior 227 Hast thou found thy Tusculans questions? Is, so evill favoured that I knew them not. a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) ii. iii. 27 Duk. Loue you the man that wrong'd you? Iul. Yes, as I loue the woman that wrong'd him. View more context for this quotation 1637 J. Milton Comus 20 2. Bro. Is this the confidence You gave me brother? Eld: bro. Yes, and keep it still. 1727 D. Defoe Conjugal Lewdness 245 Tom. What, you will have a Wife pass'd Children then. Is that it? Jack.Yes, yes, that's it indeed. 1793 C. Smith Old Manor House II. xiii. 310 ‘And is she there now?’ cried Orlando eagerly. ‘Yes,’ replied the cook. 1808 W. Scott Marmion i. Introd. 5 Will spring return,..And blossoms clothe the hawthorn spray? Yes, prattlers, yes. The daisy's flower Again shall paint your summer bower. 1866 E. Lynn Linton Lizzie Lorton II. iii. 63 ‘Is it a nice clean place?’ asked Aunt Harriet... ‘Yis! yis! clean eneugh!’ said Isaac. 1890 A. Gissing Village Hampden I. i. 19 ‘Is anybody with him?’ ‘Iss, Miss—but 'ere her be.’ 1917 G. W. E. Russell Politics & Personalities iv. x. 364 It is wise to be prepared for this evil? Until the dream of a universal..disarmament is realized, surely yes. a1966 ‘C. S. Forester’ Hornblower & Crisis (1967) vii. 71 ‘You boy!..D'you want to earn a shilling?’ ‘Iss, that do I.’ 1977 J. Johnston Shadows on our Skin 50 ‘Do you like Jaffa cakes?’... ‘Yes.’ ‘It's just as well. They're all I've got.’ 1992 S. Tharoor Show Business (1995) iii. 151 ‘Where does she live? How did you meet her?’ And Amma adds, ‘Is she fair?’ ‘Yes, she is,’ Ashok answers his mother. 2015 K. MacQuarrie in New Writing Scotl. 33 104 ‘Is it still raining?’ ‘Well, yes, now that you mention it.’ 2. Expressing assent or agreement. Cf. yessir adv., yes-man n., yes-woman n., etc. a. Expressing assent to a command, request, proposal, or summons. Π ?a1300 Dame Sirith l. 294 in G. H. McKnight Middle Eng. Humorous Tales (1913) 14 (MED) ‘Abid me her til min hom-come’; ‘Ȝus..Heþen nulli ben binomen, Til þou be aȝein comen.’ c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 436 He bede hem pens mo..Ȝif þai wald wiþ him go... ‘Ȝis’ þai sworen þo. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4341 ‘Lauedi,’ he said, ‘com to þi mete.’ ‘Yus,’ sco said. a1450 Castle Perseverance (1969) l. 438 Now go we forth..And bere þe manly euere among... Humanum genus. Ȝys, and ellys haue þou my necke. a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 84 ‘Hast thow slayne my brothir? Thou shalt dey therefore or thou departe.’ ‘Well,’ seyde Balyn, ‘do hit youreselff.’ ‘Yes,’ seyde kyng Pellam, ‘there shall no man have ado with the but I myselff.’ a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiii. 140 (MED) ‘Go spar The gaytt-doore’..‘Yis, Mak.’ 1554 J. Gwynneth Declar. State wherin Heretikes leade Liues sig. Biv^v Cath. In dede I haue more, whether it be worse or no, I will referre that to thy iudgement, if thou wilt tarry the hearing therof. Here. Yes sir that will I doe, if this daie will serue the turne. 1602 B. Jonson Poetaster iii. ii. sig. E2^v Horace. For Ioues sake, find some meanes, to take me from him. Arist. Yes, I will: but I'le goe first, and tell Mecœnas. View more context for this quotation 1677 E. Ravenscroft Wrangling Lovers ii. 57 Gus. Tell him I accidentally lost his company, and urgent affairs prest me to be gone without allowing me time to take my leave. San. Yes Sir. 1728 Street-robberies, Consider'd 15 Prithee call him, Child, said he, to me,..Yes, Sir, said I. 1767 E. Toms tr. C. Goldoni Accomplish'd Maid ii. 29 Run you, and find Sir John; tell him I wish to speak with him this instant. Finet. Yes, my lady. 1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) iv. 40 ‘Joe!’ ‘Yes, Sir.’ 1859 J. Ruskin Two Paths iii. §82 Nay, but you will take Christian ornament—purest mediæval Christian—thirteenth century! Yes: and do you suppose you will find the Christian less human? 1905 Tom Watson's Mag. Mar. 81/1 ‘Baxter, some brandy and soda. Look sharp.’ ‘Yes, sir; thank you, sir,’ answered Baxter with spirit as he trotted out. 1961 R. A. Heinlein Stranger in Strange Land xiv. 131 ‘All right, go ahead. But talk to me later.’ ‘Yes, Jubal.’ 1988 Spin Nov. 35 He would..say, ‘Come downstairs and show 'em how you play drums.’ I'd say, ‘OK, but only if I can have a day off from school,’ and he'd say, ‘Yes, OK, take a day off from school.’ 2002 P. Collins Men from Boys 111 ‘You've got a real talent, son, but you have to respect it.’ ‘Yes, boss.’ b. Expressing agreement with a statement or implication. ΘΠ the mind > language > statement > assent > [adverb] > expression of assent > to statement or implication yesa1375 a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1567 ‘Ȝe, wist y þat,’ seide william ‘witterly to speke, of alle harmes were ich hol...’ ‘Ȝis, be marie,’ seide meliors ‘misdrede ȝow neuer.’ c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 2079 ‘Be his kniȝtis as kene as me þis cornes shewis, All þe werd war to waike his wrothe to hbith stand [read with-stand].’..‘Ȝis, he ledis bot a lite lord, with ȝoure lefe..Bot mare fersere in feld fell neuire of modire.’ 1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. lxxxii. sig. L.iii^v/1 We haue not sene none of our enemyes come in to this countrey, why sholde we be greued and haue done no fawte, yes yes sayd some let the bysshop of yorke be spoken withall and the kynges counsayle. 1633 S. Marmion Fine Compan. iv. vi. sig. I Spr. I heare she is runne mad. Aur. Is. 1688 T. D'Urfey Fool's Preferment iii. iv. 47 Aur. 'Twill be Diversion to see how our Court Sparks will ogle her Countrey Dress. Mar. Yes, Madam, and paddle in the Palm of her Hand. 1723 C. Walker Authentick Mem. Sally Salisbury 26 She would bring out a Word something like Abdication, in this manner, Yes, yes, Abdillication was of great use to you, &c. 1734 A. Pope Epist. to Visct. Cobham 1 Yes, you despise the Man to books confin'd, Who from his Study rails at human kind. 1819 P. B. Shelley Rosalind & Helen 7 Henry. This is not the way, Mamma; it leads behind those trees that grow Close to the little river. Helen. Yes: I know: I was bewildered. 1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) xiv. 146 ‘They must have been nice men, both of 'em.’..‘Yes, they were..very nice men indeed!’ 1898 ‘H. S. Merriman’ Roden's Corner vii. 74 The exquisite sense of humour had also slightly evaporated. People said, ‘Oh yes, very funny,’ than which nothing is more fatal to humour. 1929 ‘H. Green’ Living (1931) x. 139 ‘I'm sorry Mr Bridges is ill!’ ‘Yes, it's a shame he's bad.’ 1977 M. Frayn Donkeys' Years i, in Plays: One (1985) 96 Buckle. I can see we're going to have to watch our step tonight, Chris. Headingley. Yes, or we'll be right back in the People and the News of the World again. 2013 Nature 31 Oct. 716/1 ‘We're calling it “OwlPlex”... Sorry, marketing seemed to think the military would like it.’ Yes, I'm sure the military will like it. c. Expressing concessive assent or agreement (sometimes sarcastically), before introducing an objection or qualification. Frequently in yes, but. ΘΠ the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > qualification > [adverb] > as concession noweOE wella1470 yes?1530 ah well1534 well now1550 indeed1563 oh well1582 (a) well a wella1779 the mind > language > statement > assent > [adverb] > expression of assent > concessive yes?1530 ?1530 Dialogue Comen Secretary & Ielowsy Ielowsy. She that hath a rollynge ey And doth conuey it, well and wysely..Trowe ye this trull wyll not be bought. Secretary. Yes, but take hede by the pryce ye haue noo losse. 1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice i. iii. 31 Iew... May I speake with Anthonio? Bass. Yf it please you to dine with vs. Iew. Yes, to smell porke. View more context for this quotation 1665 J. Wilson Projectors 228 Mrs. Got. Sirrah..look out and mind your business..Got. Good faith, I do. Mrs. Got. Yes, among your gills too much! What was that you said to our maid t' other night? 1732 H. Fielding Old Debauchees iii. viii. 36 Y. Lar. A fine Woman is as good a Bait for a Priest-trap, as toasted Cheese is for a Mouse-trap. Old Lar. Yes, but the Rascal will nibble off twenty Baits before you can take him. 1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xxii. 68 ‘Miss Ophelia has taught Topsy to read’, continued Eva. ‘Yes, and you see how much good it does.’ 1865 ‘L. Carroll’ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland vii. 99 ‘It was the best butter.’.. ‘Yes, but some crumbs must have got in as well.’ 1880 ‘M. Twain’ Tramp Abroad xxv. 247 One morning I said,—‘There is an American party.’ Harris said,—‘Yes,—but name the State.’ 1920 D. H. Lawrence Touch & Go ii. 49 Anabel. That's rather mean of you. You should savvy, and let it go without saying. Gerald. Yes, but I don't savvy. 1998 Telegraph (Nashua, New Hampsh.) 21 July 23/1 Somers claims that getting fired from ‘Three's Company’ allowed her to find a deeper purpose in life. Well, yes—if you consider marketing the Thighmaster and Buttmaster deeply meaningful. 1999 Sunday Tasmanian (Nexis) 13 June The Government sent off a briefing note stating there might well have been ‘accidental access to the site while doing a search for legitimate purposes’. Yes, and I'm a monkey's auntie. 2015 Times 12 June 35/1 Somehow, it's hard to get quite so exercised about greedy bankers fixing Libor... Yes, OK, we can all claim to be victims—but not in a way that actually hurts. 3. Used in place of a subordinate clause expressing affirmation or assent, typically following a verb of thinking or implying. Cf. to say yes at Phrases 1, so adv. and conj. 2a, yea adv. 4. ΘΠ the mind > language > statement > affirmation and denial > [adverb] > standing for affirmative clause yeaOE yesa1393 the mind > language > statement > assent > [adverb] > expression of assent > standing for clause expressing assent yesa1393 a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. l. 854 (MED) ‘Mi fader, I not what it is.’ ‘In good feith, Sone, I trowe yis.’ ‘Mi fader, nay, bot ye me lere.’ ?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 116 (MED) Seest þou not now..þat..riȝtwise men ben at moore ese in soule þan synneris? I trowe ȝhis, for þou hast now seie þe lyuynge & þe endyng of boþe. c1460 Tree & 12 Frutes (McClean) (1960) 100 (MED) Is it not a gret rest of hert..to put oute..al noyses of erthely desires?..I trow yis. c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) ix. 24 Then Huon..demandyd yf he myght ryde or not, ‘brother’ quod Gerarde ‘I thynke yes.’ 1580 R. Parsons Brief Disc. f. 28^v Wold we esteem schismatiques or not, Yf theye had dyed soe?.. I..thinke yes. 1634 J. Canne Necessitie of Separation v. 218 His wordes import positively no, but we are sure yes. 1747 J. Smith Chronicon Rusticum-commerciale I. xxiii. 113 Would Goods in that Case from beyond Seas be brought as good cheap after the same Rate? A man would think yes. 1843 T. Carlyle Past & Present iii. xv. 309 Thou shalt not disobey them. It were better for thee not. Better a hundred deaths than yes. 1875 Galaxy July 21/2 ‘What did she say?’ ‘Well, she didn't say no.’ ‘Did she imply yes?’ ‘She did—I think so—in a sort of way.’ 1908 Post-office Appropriation Bill, 1909: Hearings before Subcomm. No. 1 of Comm. on Post-office & Post-roads (U.S. House of Representatives, 60th Congr., 1st Sess.) 36 The Chairman. You would be able to get along next year with 15 less men even if there were no increase of salary? Mr. Vickery. Well, I suspect yes, but the increase of salaries would make the work better. 1929 Logansport (Indiana) Pharos-Tribune 18 Jan. 9/2 She has received an offer to sing in eight operas in Quebec..and to make a short talky-singing picture. She hasn't decided yes or no. 1997 Independent 13 May i. 20/7 He..instructed his underlings to figure out whether the regulators would allow the deal. They thought yes, and the rest is history. 4. Used as an intensifier, esp. to emphasize or strengthen the speaker's own preceding statement, or to introduce a more emphatic or comprehensive statement. ΘΠ the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adverb] > outstandingly > emphasizing previous statement yesc1400 indeed1535 indeedy1856 c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 635 (MED) Why schulde he not her labour alow, Ȝys, and pay hym at þe fyrst fyne? a1425 (a1400) Northern Pauline Epist. (1916) Rom. iii. 29 (MED) Wheþer of Iewys only god is formere; wheþer he be not of þe folc, ȝis, and of þe folc? ?1496 Earl Rivers tr. Cordyal (de Worde) f. xv^v/1 Shall not my short dayes breefly fynysshe, yes in trouthe The lyfe present is right shorte. 1589 in T. Cottesford Two Godly & Comfortable Lett. sig. C9^v Is it not a greate shame, yes, it is vtterlye against nature, that the Sheepe should be wiser and better learned then the sheephearde. 1610 J. Healey tr. St. Augustine Citie of God i. v. 10 Let vs goe to the Romanes themselues: yes; I say, let vs obserue the Romanes themselues. a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) ii. ii. 102 Surely I thinke you haue charmes, la: yes in truth. View more context for this quotation 1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII i. ii. 177 I say, take heed; Yes, heartily beseech you. View more context for this quotation 1700 W. Congreve Way of World v. i. 72 I'll couple you, Yes, I'll baste you together, you and your Philander. 1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield II. iii. 62 ‘Ah, madam,’ cried her mother, ‘this is but a poor place you are come to after so much finery... Yes, Miss Livy, your poor father and I have suffered very much of late.’ 1795 J. Wolcot Royal Tour ii. 17 Iss, iss, he'll do the feat. 1810 G. Crabbe Borough xxii. 299 His Father's Love he scorn'd,..But being drunk, wept sorely when he died. Yes! then he wept. 1867 G. Meredith Vittoria I. iv. 52 ‘He rendered payment for it,’ said Agostino. ‘He perished; yes! as we shake dust to the winds.’ 1888 ‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Children ii. 17 He was living a month ago, and drunk enough to knock me down. Yes, me..me with a babe of a month old. 1902 J. Chamberlain in Times 7 Jan. 4/4 It is the duty of the British people to count upon themselves alone... I say alone, yes, in a splendid isolation. 1917 ‘O. Douglas’ Setons ix. 127 So of course I didn't like you. Yes, that's the kind of jealous creature I am. 1943 A. Rand Fountainhead ii. ix. 321 It is wiser to select a profession about which you can be calm, sane and matter-of-fact. Yes, even if you hate it. It makes for down-to-earthness. 2003 S. Brown Free Gift Inside! 241 His signature style of humbuggery, which swindled—yes, swindled—people in a playful, preposterous, pranksterish, and (extremely) profitable way. 5. Used interrogatively to express a desire for further information or to indicate that a speaker should continue: ‘and?’, ‘go on’. Hence as an inquiry addressed to a person waiting in silence: ‘what is it?’ ‘what do you want?’. Also used as a mere expression of interest: ‘indeed?’ ‘is that so?’. ΘΠ the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > [adverb] > indicating a question > seeking information yes1842 the mind > language > statement > assent > [adverb] > expression of assent > provisional yes1842 1842 C. Dickens Amer. Notes I. iv. 147 If you are an Englishman, he expects that that railroad is pretty much like an English railroad. If you say ‘No,’ he says ‘Yes?’ (interrogatively), and asks in what respect they differ. You enumerate the heads of difference, one by one, and he says ‘Yes?’ (still interrogatively) to each. 1858 O. W. Holmes Autocrat of Breakfast-table i. 18 My landlady's daughter... Tender-eyed blonde. Long ringlets... Says ‘Yes?’ when you tell her anything. 1858 O. W. Holmes Autocrat of Breakfast-table i. 21 ‘I was only laying down a principle of social diagnosis.’ ‘Yes?’ 1898 Punch 16 Apr. 173/1 After a few moments I was joined by a gentleman... ‘Yes?’ he said, in a tone of interrogation. 1903 E. W. Hamilton Strawberry Leaves 304 ‘Well, I didn't mean in weight; I mean in—’ ‘Yes?’ ‘Well, in rippingness.’ 1983 C. Thomas Firefox Down (1984) i. 12 ‘Sir!’ ‘Yes?’ he answered hoarsely. 1997 I. Rankin Black & Blue (1998) ix. 135 A small elderly man, very trim, with a black moustache and jam-jar glasses, was marching towards Rebus. ‘Yes, can I help you?’ 2004 A. Greig In Another Light (2005) 200 ‘Because it's a clear night..and because..’ ‘Yes?’ ‘Because I'm a ratbag who can say sorry better outdoors.’ 6. colloquial. As a question-tag at the end of a sentence, inviting agreement, approval, or confirmation: ‘isn't that so?’, ‘am I not correct?’, etc.Often in representations of the speech of those for whom English is not a first language. ΚΠ 1924 ‘W. Fabian’ Sailors' Wives v. 74 The sexperts, which is a combination of sex and expert: I glued it together myself. Not so dim; yes? 1942 E. Ferber Saratoga Trunk (new ed.) vi. 105 I speak like a true vacher, yes? 1996 E. L. Harry Society of Mind xv. 366 As the heavy blast door closed on the group ahead, a woman with a French accent said, ‘This is built very much for security, yes?’ 2015 A. Mulligan Liquidator 81 If you don't want people looking at your files, you encrypt them—yes? Then if your laptop gets stolen, no one gets access. B. n. An utterance of the word ‘yes’; an affirmative answer or decision; an indication of assent. Cf. no n.¹ 2. ΘΠ the mind > language > statement > affirmation and denial > [noun] > affirmative reply yeac1390 yes1533 affirmative1961 the mind > language > statement > assent > [noun] > word or expression of assent yeac1390 yes1533 placet1589 amen1609 yeaword1810 1533 T. More 2nd Pt. Confut. Tyndals Answere vii. p. cclxxxii He sayth styll yes, wyth as myche profe in his yes, as a gose hath in her hysse. 1629 J. Mabbe tr. C. de Fonseca Deuout Contempl. xxi. 368 The Gibeonites..spinning out a Yes verily, and euerie other word they deliuer, to it's ful length. 1652 tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote (new ed.) iv. xlv. f. 218 I answered with more yesses, till wee came to five, and even now hee came for them, I give them him. 1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 266. ⁋4 Her innocent forsooths, yes's, and't please you's..moved the good old Lady to..hire her for her own Maid. 1805 R. Southey Madoc i. xvii. 170 Madoc, smiling on the Maid,..lightly gave the yes. a1816 R. B. Sheridan in Sheridaniana (1826) 62 No pearly teeth rejoice my view, Unless a ‘yes’ displays their hue. 1840 W. M. Thackeray Shabby Genteel Story v, in Fraser's Mag. Aug. 233/1 Dear yeses and noes, how beautiful you are when gently whispered by pretty lips! 1867 G. Meredith Vittoria I. ii. 21 ‘Said yes!’ he remarked. ‘He might say no, for a diversion. He has yeses enough in his pay to earn a Cardinal's hat.’ 1919 V. Eliot Let. 3 Oct. in T. S. Eliot Lett. (1988) I. 338 Would I go? Yes. A thousand yeses. 1954 Challenge Oct. 57/2 Those corporate officers whose decisions determine whether plants are closed or expanded. Their ‘yes’ means jobs, and their ‘no’ is echoed and re-echoed by smaller businessmen all over the nation. 1987 R. Hall Kisses of Enemy (1990) 3 Wind ripped the advertised arguments for Yes and No off their hoardings and sent them gusting into the air. 1992 Cosmopolitan June 60/1 Your body language was a chorus of yeses, but I distinctly heard the word no. 2001 Advocate 27 Mar. 39/1 Are you in a relationship now? That is none of your business. Ok, I'll take that as a yes. C. int. An exclamation of pleasure or excitement in response to a fortuitous outcome or discovery. Π 1977 R. G. Vliet Solitudes vii. 103 Oh my dear. Mouth stuck to mouth...Yes. Oh my God yes. 1980 M. Thelwell Harder they Come (1996) vi. 177 He..reached into the watch pocket of his pants. Yes! In his hand was..the card Miss Daisy had given him. 1999 XXL Basketball Aug. 94/2 Despite his obvious talent, much of the time you could hear Hill screaming: ‘No, no, no...yes. Yeeesss!!!’ From poor shot to highlight play. 2003 K. Daswani For Matrimonial Purposes (U.K. ed.) 52 The other day, I..read some of the pages in my journal from last year: ‘Yes! Got the last Kate Spade bag in the Barneys sale!’ 2009 J. Kraut & S. Lester Hot Mess xxv. 330 ‘Ahhh! Yes!’ Rachel yelped and fist-pumped from behind her laptop. Phrases P1. to say yes: to assent or agree to something; spec. to accept a proposal of marriage.In many instances difficult to distinguish from the simple reporting of a reply using the actual word yes. ΘΠ the mind > language > statement > assent > [verb (intransitive)] ensentc1290 accordc1300 to say yesa1400 senta1400 to say yeac1425 condescend1477 subscribe1531 accede1534 to take a person at his (also her) word1535 homologatea1649 to close with1654 to set one's seal1659 yes1820 yea-say1876 society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > proposal of marriage > propose marriage [verb (intransitive)] > accept to say yesa1400 a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 17203 I aske þe grace, þu sais me ‘ȝeis’. a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) ii. v. 91 I cannot hate thee worser then I do, If thou againe say yes . View more context for this quotation 1691 tr. P. O. de Vaumorière Art of Pleasing in Conversat. iv. 77 We may observe one [Complaisance], which may be called Universal, which makes men say, Yes, to all sorts of things, without distinction. 1747 H. Walpole Let. 28 July in Corr. (1954) XIX. 428 Bergenopzoom still holds out, and is the first place that has not said yes, the moment the French asked it the question. 1756 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 535/2 Come, let's to the church, and share conjugal bliss, To prevent being teiz'd, I was forc'd to say Yes. 1883 D. C. Murray Hearts (1885) xiv. 111 She'd never say ‘Yes’ to a man she didn't care for. 1914 St. Nicholas May 605/2 If one makes it a rule to say ‘yes’ to everything, he is weak. 1962 Star-News (Pasadena, Calif.) 1 Mar. 19/1 Am I unfair to him or myself if I say yes to him? I have a good position, as he has and I think we could be very good companions. 1999 P. Jooste Frieda & Min 18 When Dr Tom asked her to marry him she didn't say yes straight away. 2012 Independent 18 Feb. (Mag.) 27/2 If someone wanted to film another one of my books I'd say yes like a shot. P2. a. yes and no: (in answer to a question which does not have a definitive or unequivocal answer) partly and partly not; perhaps, to a certain degree. ΘΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > exclamations of doubt [interjection] humh1603 goodness1623 umph1800 humph1815 yes and no1825 1825 J. Bentham Observ. Mr. Peel's Speech 9 This constancy of attendance, is it not then paid by the present gentlemen? Answer, as before, yes and no. 1873 C. M. Yonge Pillars of House I. vii. 154 ‘Do you come from his father?’ ‘Well—yes and no. His father is still in Oregon; but he and I have always been one.’ 1896 ‘M. Rutherford’ Clara Hopgood xxii. 212 I said ‘yes and no’ and there is another side. 1933 W. S. Maugham Sheppey iii. 75 Bessie:..Expecting somebody? Florrie: Yes and no. 1964 ‘R. Petrie’ Murder by Precedent v. 78 ‘That's why you gave him a home?’ he asked. ‘Well yes and no.’ 1981 B. Murphy Enigma Variations xiii. 137 ‘Do you believe that if you continue seeing me you'll be damned?’ ‘Yes and no.’ 2005 Personal Computer World Feb. 16/2 Is the device pictured below a media player? Well, yes and no. b. Yes and No: a parlour game in which participants ask questions (answered by either ‘yes’ or ‘no’) to identify a chosen person or thing (see quot. 1854). Cf. twenty questions n. at twenty adj. and n. Compounds 4. Now historical. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > parlour and party games > [noun] > question and answer games purposec1380 questions and commands1628 cross-purposes1666 cross-questions and crooked answers1742 Yes and No1843 truth1868 clumps1883 truth game1908 1843 C. Dickens Christmas Carol iii. 113 It was a Game called Yes and No, where Scrooge's nephew had to think of something, and the rest must find out what; he only answering to their questions yes or no as the case was. 1854 Round Games (ed. 2) 111 Yes and No. This game..was formerly called Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral. A player was sent out of the room, and a word (or rather thing) thought of. The player was called in, and proceeded to ask certain members of the company to which of the three kingdoms—animal, vegetable, or mineral—the object in question belonged... He then proceeded to ask other questions, to which the players were only compelled to answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. 1863 Eagle (St John's College, Cambr.) 3 194 They played ‘Yes and No’, and ‘American Post’. 1904 F. Kingsland In & Out Door Games 86 Yes and No... One of the party leaves the room. In his absence the rest choose a subject. 2012 S. Grace Lady Amelia's Mess & Half xxv. 282 Mr. Tucker drew out the last word, looking expectantly at her as if they were playing a round of Yes and No, her least favorite parlor game. P3. yes, sir, no, sir, three bags full and variants: used to imply servile compliance with the demands of another, esp. a superior. With allusion to the nursery rhyme Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, which has been frequently altered to satirize various forms of political corruption since the early 19th cent.In quot. 1847 in figurative context with reference to shepherding. Π 1847 Bombay Times 11 Aug. 635/2 As to wool, let eighty-six flock come up here, and it will soon be able to answer in the words well known to..those who commit depredations upon us,—‘yes, master, three bags' full.’ 1916 Kemmel Times 3 July in Wipers Times: Compl. Series (2006) 101 Thomas Atkins with his famous song: Yes, sir! Yes, sir! Three bags full. 1974 D. Clement & I. La Frenais Porridge: Scripts (2002) 1st Ser. Episode 5. 108/2 You have to learn to turn the other cheek. Yes sir, no sir, three bags full, sir. 1998 P. Jooste Dance with Poor Man's Daughter (1999) i. 27 Other people took the jobs that were offered to them and were grateful. They could say, ‘Yes, boss. No, boss. Three bags full, boss’ and it wasn't the end of the world. 2003 A. O. Mitha Unlikely Beginnings xix. 293 He was a person who rarely had a good word for..those senior to him, and yet when he was with them he was all, ‘yes, sir, no sir, three bags full, sir.’ P4. yes-or-no adj. answerable by or definable in terms of a simple affirmation or negation; = yes-no adj. 2; cf. more or less at more adv. 3a. ΘΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [adjective] > definite or determinate > determining or defining > of questions, decisions, etc. yes-or-no1888 yes-no1898 1888 Boston Post 26 Jan. Mr. Quincy replied that he was not ready to give a yes or no answer to that question. 1911 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Jrnl.-Gaz. 12 Feb. 16/3 When Jones had flatly declined to answer a yes-or-no question the compass of the opposition to the inquiry had also been boxed. 1961 F. W. Householder in S. Saporta & J. R. Bastian Psycholinguistics 17/1 Beside this graded kind of ‘grammaticalness’..there is also an absolute yes-or-no type. 1964 M. A. K. Halliday et al. Ling. Sci. v. 124 But this, like synonymy, is a ‘more or less’ not a ‘yes or no’ relation. 1976 H. Kemelman Wednesday Rabbi got Wet xlvi. 257 The law is not a yes-or-no thing. 1979 Economist 16 June 98/2 Whitehall's traditional passion for compromise only makes for trouble in a crisis which needs yes-or-no decisions, fast. 2005 Real Simple June 192/2 Try not to go on a lawyer-like attack with a litany of yes-or-no questions. P5. U.S. yes, Virginia, there is a —— (and variants): used to introduce a statement affirming the existence or truth of something, sometimes implying that this should have been self-evident.With allusion to quot. 1897, an editorial by Francis P. Church in response to a letter from eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon, who had asked whether Santa Claus was real; the practice of reprinting the editorial during the Christmas season became a popular tradition.In quot. 1927 as the headline of an article announcing the birth of O'Hanlon's child. ΚΠ 1897 Sun (N.Y.) 21 Sept. 6/3 Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.] 1914 San Francisco Chron. 21 Mar. 1/2 (headline) Yes, Virginia, there is also a stork. 1927 Life 26 May 27/3 (headline) Yes, Virginia, there is an Elmer [Gantry]. 1954 J. Kerr & E. Brooke King of Hearts i. 46 Yes, Virginia, your little friends are wrong. There is a Ford Foundation. 1970 J. Bouton Ball Four vii. 342 Yes, Virginia, baseball players watch the scoreboard. 2017 Eureka (Calif.) Times-Standard (Nexis) 16 Apr. 17 Yes, Virginia, there are jobs and careers you can plan for right here in Humboldt. P6. humorous. yes way: used as a response to ‘no way’ (no way int. 1), to emphasize the truth of an initial statement. Cf. way int.¹ 2. ΚΠ 1975 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 3 July 41/8 But the larger girl answered, with even greater emphasis..‘Yes way.’ 1984 C. Matheson & E. Solomon Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (film script, 1st draft) (Calif. Inst. Arts) 18 (Bill and Ted are utterly shocked. Finally:) Bill. Who are you guys? New Ted. We're you, dude! Ted. No way. No way. New Ted. Yes way, Ted. 1998 L. Sutherland Jelly Roll xi. 268 He's stayin at home tae get in a wee bit practice an he's comin on Wednesday.—No way.—Yes way. 2009 D. Nicholls One Day (2010) iv. 64 ‘You can have that back 'n' all.’ She tossed a tightly wadded ten-pound note onto his chest. ‘No way.’ ‘Yes way.’ P7. Ugandan English. yes please: used to express affirmation or agreement; ‘that's right’, ‘exactly’. [Apparently after Luganda bambi bambi adv.] Π 2010 Daily Monitor (Kampala) 3 Oct. 3/4 You might ask a passerby if Lumumba Avenue is ahead. Even if he does not know, he will still reply: Yes please! 2020 @IsmailH_256 28 Oct. 2020 in twitter.com (accessed 28 Oct. 2020) [In response to I think you'll do better next season.] Yes please @jkwasikye... This is our trial phase and definitely will do well next season. Compounds yes-sayer n. = yea-sayer n. Π 1846 tr. G. D. Krummacher in Christian Treasury 13 Feb. 603/1 The disciples at Jerusalem were not satisfied with a mere yes-sayer, or assenter to anything. 1920 H. L. Mencken in E. Muir We Moderns (Amer. ed.) Introd. 12 The ideal man is..the Nietzschean Ja-sager, the yes-sayer, facing destiny courageously and a bit proudly, living to the full the life that lies within his grasp in the present. 2017 Independent (Nexis) 21 Apr. (Letters section) She will not tolerate any opposing views... Only she and her henchmen, yes-sayers (and poodles?) know and will decide. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < v.1820adv.n.int.OE
随便看	weighed up weigher weigher-in weigherin weighers weighership weighgilt weighhouse weighin weighing weighing down weighing in weighing out weighing up weighing-cage weighing-engine weighing-fee weighing-house weighing-machine weighing-post weighing-room weighing-scales weighing-yard weighingcage weighingengine

yesv.

yesadv.n.int.

Phrases

Compounds