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Glite Dictionary
yam yam

yam yam

1 9.9
A short word people say when food tastes very good
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : ¡yum!
  • As soon as he tasted the fresh bread, he exclaimed, "yam yam!"

Examples

  • She texted a picture of her dinner with the caption, "yam yam—so delicious!"

  • The children giggled and shouted yam yam after trying the chocolate cake.

  • This cake is delicious! Yam yam!

  • After tasting the soup, I exclaimed, 'yam yam!'

  • As soon as he tasted the fresh bread, he exclaimed, "yam yam!"

  • She texted a picture of her dinner with the caption, "yam yam—so delicious!"

  • After tasting the soup, I exclaimed, 'yam yam!'

Synonyms

mmm
vsyam yam
  • Informal
302 8.9

A sound people make to show something tastes or smells very good

is focused on food taste approval rather than broader sensory pleasure
yum
vsyam yam
  • Informal
45 7.5

A short word you say when food or a smell is very good

is used specifically for enjoying food taste rather than general pleasure
mmmmm
vsyam yam
  • Informal
2 9.7

A soft sound showing pleasure when tasting or smelling something nice

is limited to expressing enjoyment of food taste rather than any pleasant event

How Tasty

delicious
49 1.0
yam yam
  • Informal
1 9.9
nice
∞ 1.0
okay
∞ 1.0
meh
  • Slang
21 8.4
yuck
  • Informal
5 8.3

Surface Forms

yam yam main

Morphology

yam + yam

The constituent 'yam' is a concrete noun (a root vegetable), and simply repeating it does not transparently yield an exclamation meaning 'delicious'; a B1 learner who knows 'yam' would not predict this evaluative interjection from the literal parts. Although it resembles the interjection 'yum yum' phonologically, that is a form-level resemblance rather than a semantic composition from the noun, so the MWE's meaning is unpredictable from its constituents.

Etymology

Yam yam may come from simple eating sounds and child speech, like saying 'yum yum' or naming the tasty root yam, with the repeat showing pleasure in food. That's why yam yam is used to say 'delicious' or that you 'enjoy the taste'.