Yes No

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My boss of five yrs back often said this during conversation. The new designer at my current work just said it viz

Persdon: "That looks nice." Deigner: "Yes no it does."

What is the world coming to?

― mark s, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

New old up down answers

― mark s, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ach Mark. The world will be just fine coming to an end.

― Pete, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"where's the remote control?"

"I don't know, it's over there"

― jel --, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I quite like the noncommital attitude he takes. He's playing it safe. heh. How'bout th Japanese and their logic: If agreeing with negative sentence they say YES. If not, then it's a YES. Do you not like me? Yes. Huh? Feh you. Oh.

― Nathalie, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If not, it's a NO. DUH!

― Nathalie, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

that makes sense to me, sort of. when i was little i could never understand why this was not the case in English

― michael, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Mark, is this person a South African? It's a very SA non-committal thing. In fact most sentences start with the word no or ja no. "No, how are you?" "Ja, no, I'm fine."

― Sam, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

designer= brum; old editor = from leicester

― mark s, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ah, it's people in publishing from Leicester - they can't handle the language. When I was an editor in Leicester, my boss (owner and M.D.) used "effectively" and "from that end" a lot, to no discernible effect or meaning. One, at a meeting with some Nintendo bigwigs, he said "Effectively, effectively, from that end, from that end, effectively," then paused as if awaiting response to what he'd said. They looked at him as if he were an idiot, which seemed fair enough.

― Martin Skidmore, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Martin, that's the greatest story I've heard/read today!

― Dan Perry, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

at a meeting with some Nintendo bigwigs

explain more, martin! are you by any chance a 'professional video game player' (yes this is an actual job!!! i know people who get paid for this!! roXor!)

― geeta, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

[as in i know someone whose job it is to "test the latest japanese video games" to see which ones will likely be "hot in the US" haha! and she gets paid MAD MONEY! yes no that rules!]

― geeta, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Geeta, before you leave town, PLEASE HOOK ME UP WITH YOUR FRIEND. I need a second job and this one sounds PERFECT.

― Dan Perry, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There are situations in which YEAH NO is appropriate, but not the one at the top of the thread.

― electric sound of jim, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

that is so cute.

― Maria, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"yeah yeah yeah/no no no no no!" (New York Dolls, 'Personality Crisis')

― duane, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

since tracer arrived and noted that he was compiling notes towards a study of this phenom, i have been reawakened to it snf discovered that

i. everyone in the world now says this phrase in every sentence
ii. inc.me :0

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 19 September 2003 12:59 (twenty-two years ago)

"Yeah" means NOTHING, man

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:01 (twenty-two years ago)

"Yeah I'd love to see you, BUT" etc, for a start

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I mean this is kinda not related to the thread, but really it's just a NOISE one makes in conversation that doesn't necessarily mean anything

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:04 (twenty-two years ago)

"Turn left here, right?"

"Right. Left."

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:06 (twenty-two years ago)

i don't distinguish those two anyway nick

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I picked up "Yeah, no" from Minnesotans. It basically means "Yeah, I understand and agree with what you're saying; no, we shouldn't put peanutbutter in the egg salad" or whatever...

― Pete Scholtes, Friday, 19 September 2003 13:32 (twenty-two years ago)

A friend uses it as a sentence starter, irrespective of whether he's going to come down yes or no.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

i think this is the first time i saw it written! yay allyzay!

Defend the Indefensible: not wanting to quit smoking

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 20:44 (twenty years ago)

"do you know what? i don't know, do you know what i mean?"

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 20:50 (twenty years ago)

Often it makes sense!

A: "It's not like he needs the money."
B: "Yeah yeah, no, he totally doesn't!"

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 20:54 (twenty years ago)

i know, it's brilliant

(also if you say it to tracer he larfs non-stop)

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 20:56 (twenty years ago)

i had a hamster named Dr. Oui-Non. RIP. arkansas summer heat in a house with no air conditioning took its toll on the poor little dude.

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 20:57 (twenty years ago)

You baked your hamster?

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)

No! Why? [sex]
No! Why? [sex]
Maybe, Perhaps, Yes!
Maybe, Perhaps, Yes!
Yes! No!
Yes! No!

― Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)

In the very first example in this thread, I can see the "no" as actually providing more affirmation: not only is the designer assenting to what the boss has said, but he's also refuting anyone who would say otherwise.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 21:07 (twenty years ago)

It's like "yeah [I agree], no [listen to my bald statement of fact!!]"

― Maria (Maria), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 21:21 (twenty years ago)

tracer i need yr expert opinion on allyzay's post!

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 22:08 (twenty years ago)

i think jaymc's nailed it better than i ever have yet, at least this particular iteration i.e. yeah you're right, and you know that thing you're knocking down, let me help you push it over with a big fat NO i.e. yeah, no, the guy's a fool; also poss. as a heading-off at the pass of the obv criticism that the whole room knows is coming, or that is an impending part of the scenery of the situation

what about "no, yeah"? i have this feeling that it is somehow slightly different!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 22:38 (twenty years ago)

yer but no but yer but no but yer but no but

― Autumn Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 22:40 (twenty years ago)

Host: (whispered) - "The password is 'no'"

Celeb: "Yes....."

Contestant: "No."

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 22:42 (twenty years ago)

"same difference" still gets under my skin

― j blount (papa la bas), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 22:43 (twenty years ago)

= same diff these days (daddio)

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 22:44 (twenty years ago)

no but yeah, it's kind of crazy that Ally actually WROTE it!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 22:45 (twenty years ago)

yes no i know yes! i am psyched!

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 22:46 (twenty years ago)

Standing in the video store.

Dude: "Shall we rent the House of Yes?"
Chick: "No! (She grabs a 'Yes' concert video from the wall)"Yes?"
Dude: "No, no Yes."
Chick: "No Yes?" (To punish him she for denying the 'Yes' video, she mimics sex.) "No 'YES! YES!"
Dude: "Noo..." (he reconsiders. Glumly:) "Yes Yes."

― Remy (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 22:51 (twenty years ago)

guys I say this literally 700 times during any given day, "yeah no," I think it used to BOTHER Tom until he started saying it too, it was only a matter of time before I started writing it! Start the confusion revolution now, people.

― Allyzay Subservient 50s-Type (allyzay), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 23:52 (twenty years ago)

Yeah no I used to find it RETARJED it but now I catch myself putting it at the beginning of TXT MSGS

― TOMBOT, Wednesday, 6 April 2005 00:50 (twenty years ago)

i was a big fan of saying "yesno?" when i was a teenager.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 00:51 (twenty years ago)

since nobody else is gonna validate my cool shit, I will myself: Yes No! Yes? No, no Yes. No Yes? No 'YES! YES! Noo... Yes Yes.

― Remy (x Jeremy), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 04:28 (twenty years ago)

A: "You didn't eat that, did you?"
B: "No no no, yeah, I could tell it was spoiled."
(Especially if you imagine person A making a relieved face between "no" and "yeah!")

― nabiscothingy, Wednesday, 6 April 2005 04:43 (twenty years ago)

Actually the more I think about it the more it seems that yesnos and noyeses have to do with the initial unspoken reaction of the person you're talking to, so that you say "yeah" and they make some sort of slight acknowledgement-response and then you proceed from the other direction: no, why would you think so? For instance my most common usage of it is probably something like:

A. Did you turn off the stove?
B. [Yeah] / [No, I never forget to turn stoves off].

― nabiscothingy, Wednesday, 6 April 2005 04:47 (twenty years ago)

Now see that's bonkers.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 04:49 (twenty years ago)

Yeah no it's like some kind of fucking familiar/friendly thing, when you would start a sentence with "no" but that just sounds like something you're supposed to say to those really evangelical drug fiends who keep PUSHING THE WEED AND COCAINE IN YOUR FACE, No, No, No!!!!

With people you trust and respect and make jokes with you say "yeah, no" so they don't get the idea that you regard them as a panhandler, customer service representative, or authority figure, even though to agree with what they just said you would, logically, have to say "no."

― TOMBOT, Wednesday, 6 April 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)

who's bonkers NOW mother final fantasy 12???

― TOMBOT, Wednesday, 6 April 2005 19:45 (twenty years ago)

I'm also imagining a construction that would be like "yeah [I understand the point that you're getting at but] no [I don't agree with it] ..."

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 19:48 (twenty years ago)

I think there's another level at which it works.

Perhaps if the guy is thinking the you have reservations about one area of the design work and it's like he says "well, this part looks very good"

and you're like "yeah no, it does"

As if to say "yes that's true, however that is not what I have a problem with"

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 19:49 (twenty years ago)

No I don't think that's really how it's used, ever. Either of you. You are wrong.

― TOMBOT, Wednesday, 6 April 2005 19:50 (twenty years ago)

Ronan's is good.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

http://www.noyesartgallery.com/NoyesGallery-0203f-1.jpg

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

you'd say "no, it DIES"

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 19:54 (twenty years ago)

Scratch my proposition: I can't actually imagine it anymore.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 19:57 (twenty years ago)

just when you think you've caught hold of it it wriggles away.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:00 (twenty years ago)

no one's brought up Even Steven yet? me shocked.

yes.
no.
yes.
no.
yes.
no!
yes.
nooooooooo!

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:07 (twenty years ago)

E-mail with my mom this morning:

J: Driver's license has been attained. Photo is a bit unfortunate, but what are you gonna do?

Mom: So glad you were able to do this so soon. This will be a nice convenience for you. Too bad about the photo-- with the new haircut, right?

J: Yeah, no, it looks fine -- my eyes are just half-closed. :)

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 11 April 2005 21:52 (twenty years ago)

My mother can barely spell "hi," much less "convenience."

― Curious George (1/6 Scale Model) (Rock Hardy), Monday, 11 April 2005 22:00 (twenty years ago)

It's always an apologetic thing with me like:

"did you pay the electric bill yet?"

"yeah, no i was going to get to that erm.. soon."

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 02:38 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

"Da nyet" is a common form in russian.

― ambrose (ambrose), Monday, 13 June 2005 20:37 (twenty years ago)

"You can't put too much water into the nuclear reactor core."

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Monday, 13 June 2005 20:47 (twenty years ago)

absolutely.

― ambrose (ambrose), Monday, 13 June 2005 20:57 (twenty years ago)

there's an "I know" that is left out when saying this. a la "yeah I know I should've done X/see your point, but no i haven't yet/it's like this, you fool". sorta like what jaymc said upthread.

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 04:15 (twenty years ago)

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