yellow pages
10
1.8
- noun
- /ˈjɛloʊ ˈpeɪdʒɪz/
- Archaic
:
páginas amarillas
- When searching for local plumbing services, I always check the yellow pages first.
You know, I picked one out of a out of Yellow Pages and then got a taxi.
- You know, I picked one out of a out of Yellow Pages and then got a taxi.
- Then I did Google Adwords instead of classifieds and the Yellow Pages.
- And I'm sitting debating which is more powerful, the Yellow Pages or the entire Internet.
- Oh yeah, you know, was looking up a psychiatrist and he looked through the Yellow Pages.
Examples
-
Do you want to open up the yellow pages under the section of Farm Equipment Retail?
-
Oh, Jeff, if you need any more help... consult the Yellow Pages in your telephone directory.
-
I looked in the yellow pages.
-
Well, you should try to find it in the yellow pages.
-
- Try the yellow pages.
-
"Since Jack had the Yellow Pages open to the hospital section, it was easy for him to get the number.
Fiction book (1999) -
In the end, I looked in the yellow pages for a professional photographer.
Fiction book (1993) -
We also looked in the yellow pages to determine our competition and used census information for population estimates.
Academic text (1998) -
"We could try the yellow pages," suggested Hendrick.
Fiction book (2002) -
If you can't get personal referrals, you can always search your local yellow pages or look online.
Blog text (31)
Synonyms
60
1.0
A book with people's names, addresses, and numbers to call listed alphabetically
50
3.0
A book or online list of names and addresses of people and organizations
8
1.0
A book or list of people and businesses with their phone numbers
5
1.0
A book that lists names, addresses and phone numbers of people and businesses
3
2.0
A book or website with a list of names in order and phone numbers
How Useful
- Specialized
93
2.9
- Archaic
10
1.8
50
3.0
- Archaic
60
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'yellow pages' is compositionally built from 'yellow' + 'pages' and a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to pages that are yellow; historically and conventionally this denotes a business/telephone directory. This lexicalized color+pages pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g. French Pages Jaunes, Spanish Páginas Amarillas), so the meaning is readily deducible from the constituents.
Etymology
Yellow pages comes from old phone books that printed business listings on yellow paper instead of white. Because the bold yellow 'pages' stood out on the shelf, people began to call any business directory the yellow pages, meaning a place to find 'businesses' and 'services'.