yest
A contraction of yesterday.
English · UK & Ireland 17968
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Where will you be? Anywhere UK & IrelandUnited StatesOnline slangBusiness jargon
Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
yid
Or YIT, a Jew. YIDDEN, the Jewish people. The Jews use these terms very frequently.
yoked
Married. A yoke; the quantum of labour performed at one spell by husbandmen, the day's work being divided in summer into three yokes. Kentish term.
yokel
A countryman. Probably from yoke, representative of his occupation. Some fancy, however, that the word was originally YOWKEL, in imitation of the broad tones of country labourers.
yokuff
A chest, or large box.
yorkshire
"to YORKSHIRE," or "come YORKSHIRE over any person," to cheat or cozen him. The proverbial over-reaching of the rustics of this county has given rise to the phrase, which is sometimes pronounced Yorshar. To put Yorshar to a man, is to trick or deceive him. This latter is from a work in the Lancashire dialect, 1757.
yorkshire compliment
A gift of something useless to the giver. Sometimes called a North-country compliment.
yorkshire estates
"I will do it when I come into my YORKSHIRE ESTATES,"—meaning if I ever have the money or the means.
yorkshire reckoning
A reckoning in which every one pays his own share.
yorkshire tyke
A Yorkshire clown. To come Yorkshire over any one; to cheat him.
young one
A familiar expression of contempt for another's ignorance, as "ah! I see you're a young one." How d'ye do, young one?
younker
In street language, a lad or a boy. Term in general use amongst costermongers, cabmen, and old-fashioned people. Barnefield’s Affectionate Shepherd, 1594, has the phrase, "a seemelie YOUNKER." Danish and Friesic, JONKER. In the navy, a naval cadet is usually termed a YOUNKER.
yoxter
A convict returned from transportation before his time.
zad
Crooked like the letter Z. He is a mere zad, or perhaps zed; a description of a very crooked or deformed person.
zany
The jester, jack pudding, or merry andrew, to a mountebank.
zedland
Great part of the west country, where the letter Z is substituted for S; as zee for see, zun for sun,
zounds!
A sudden exclamation—abbreviation of "God’s wounds!"
’varsity
Either UNIVERSITY—more rarely University College, Oxford.
a blessing in disguise
Something that seems bad at first but turns out to be beneficial.
a day late and a dollar short
Too little too late.
a dime a dozen
(US) Anything that is common, inexpensive, and easy to get or available anywhere.
a little bird told me
A teasing way of saying that you do not intend to divulge how you knew something.
a piece of cake
Something very easy to do.
ace in the hole
A hidden or secret strength; an unrevealed advantage.
achilles' heel
A small but fatal weakness in spite of overall strength.
across the board
Applying to all.
add fuel to the fire
Euphemism for to make a situation worse.
add insult to injury
Make a bad situation worse.
against the clock
Rush in order to finish on time.
ahead of the game
Lead in a particular field.
airs and graces
Exaggerated superiority.
all bets are off
The outcome of a particular situation is unpredictable.
all ears
Listening intently; fully focused or awaiting an explanation.
all fingers and thumbs
Be clumsy or awkward in your actions.
all over the place
In a state of confusion.
all thumbs
Clumsy, awkward.
an arm and a leg
Very expensive or costly; a large amount of money.
apple of discord
Anything causing trouble, discord, or jealousy.
apples and oranges
Fundamentally different.
around the clock
When something is done all day and all night without stopping.
around the corner
Happening soon.
at a low ebb
In an especially poor state.
at daggers drawn
In a state of bitter enmity.
at the drop of a hat
Without any hesitation; instantly.
at the end of the day
When everything is taken into consideration.
back to the drawing board
Revising something (such as a plan) from the beginning, typically after it has failed.
back to the grindstone
To return to a hard and/or tedious task.
bag and baggage
With all belongings.
balls to the wall
Full throttle; at maximum speed.
barking up the wrong tree
Pursuing a mistaken idea or blaming the wrong person or cause.
basket case
One made powerless or ineffective, as by nerves, panic, or stress.
be cruel to be kind
Act in a way which seems harsh but will ultimately be of benefit.
bear fruit
Have good results.
bear the brunt
Suffer the most.
beating a dead horse
To uselessly dwell on a subject far beyond its point of resolution.
bed of roses
A situation or activity that is comfortable or easy.
beer and skittles
Amusement or enjoyment.
bells and whistles
Attractive additional features or trimmings.
belt and braces
Providing double security by using two means to achieve the same end.
bend over backwards
Make every effort to achieve something.
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