no siree Bob
1
9.9
- idiom
- Informal
- Can I borrow your car? No siree Bob!
Examples
-
No siree Bob, there's no way I'm eating that much spicy food again.
-
No siree Bob, I wouldn't dream of trusting him with my car.
-
When asked if I wanted to skydive, I replied, 'no siree Bob!'
-
Would you like to join us for dinner? No siree Bob!
-
No siree Bob, I will not go to that party.
-
If you think I'm going to change my mind, no siree Bob!
-
No siree Bob, that's not going to happen on my watch.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
An answer that refuses a request or idea
679
8.4
An informal way to say no
414
7.7
A casual spoken way to say no
284
9.2
A short informal reply that politely says no or disagrees
56
9.9
A casual way to say no
16
9.9
A playful, strong way to say no
12
8.7
A long, loud cry showing strong feelings like surprise or disappointment
11
9.9
To say no strongly using a Russian word
8
9.8
A long cry people make to show strong sadness or shock
5
8.9
A strong way to refuse a suggestion or request
3
9.9
A short exclamation meaning no to refuse something
2
9.9
A casual way to say no in conversation
A long dramatic no used in messages to show strong refusal or sadness
A long written cry showing shock or refusal
Antonyms
How Firm
Surface Forms
Morphology
no + siree + Bob
The basic negative force is given transparently by 'no', so a learner who knows 'no' could infer a refusal. However, 'siree' is an idiomatic emphatic filler and 'Bob' functions as a vocative rather than contributing literal meaning, so the strengthened, colloquial sense ('absolutely not') is not fully derivable from the parts.
Etymology
No siree Bob probably began with the playful word siree from 'sir' and the common name Bob added because it rhymes and makes the phrase sound stronger. One popular story says people used this rhyme to make their 'no' very clear, so today No siree Bob means a very firm 'no'.