aye aye, sir
5
9.0
- idiom
- Jargon
:
¡sí, señor!
- - Aye aye, sir.
Examples
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- Aye, aye, sir.
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- Aye, aye, sir.
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- Aye aye, sir.
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- Aye aye, sir.
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- Aye aye, sir!
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- Aye, aye, sir.
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- Aye, aye, sir.
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- Aye-aye, sir.
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Aye aye, sir.
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Lock him in his cabin. - Aye, aye, sir.
Synonyms
35
9.2
A short reply by sailors to show they understand and will follow an order
1
8.9
A short informal way to say yes to someone in charge showing respect
A casual way to show you agree or that you understand
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'aye' (yes) and 'sir' (formal address) allow a B1 learner to infer an emphatic affirmative directed at an officer (roughly 'yes, sir'), so the general intent is partially clear. However, the conventional maritime meaning — signalling not just agreement but that an order has been received and will be carried out promptly, with the idiomatic force of the doubled 'aye' — is conventionalized and not fully predictable from the parts alone.
Etymology
Aye aye, sir comes from old sailors who answered a captain by saying aye twice to show they had heard the order clearly and would obey, and they added sir to show respect. So today aye aye, sir means 'I heard the order and will do it'.