yes, and

See also: yes and

English

Noun

yes, and (uncountable)

  1. (theater) A rule of improvisation whereby one performer should accept another's statement and build on it.

Phrase

yes, and (...)?

  1. Diminishes a speaker's confession of the listener's accusation.

Usage notes

  • Used in informal speech, chiefly by Americans.
  • Used when conceding an accusation to be true, but questioning or rejecting the relevance or importance thereof.
  • Used especially in disregard of likely controversy amongst one's peers as a result of the accusation being true.
  • The prosody is very important. There must be an audible pause between the two words, and they may be written as two full sentences, or interspersed with ellipses, to guide a reader:
Amber: You're telling me you put pineapple on your pizza?
Naomi: Yes. And ...?

Synonyms

Translations