Dictionary

yikes en · INTJ

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /jaɪks/

Etymology

Attested from mid-20th century, perhaps derived from yoicks, a hunting call used to urge hounds after a fox, which is attested from 1765–1775, that also is sometimes used as an exclamation of excitement or triumph. Yoicks is perhaps related to the earlier hoicks. Hoicks (alternatively hoick, hoic or hoik) is a variant of hyke, which was used as an exclamation of encouragement to hounds hunting deer. Further etymology unknown. Alternatively, it may be derived from yipes, which is an earlier exclamation of similar usage as yikes (and is often considered to be an alternative form of yikes). Yipes may be derived from yipe, which itself may be derived from the yie sound often used to express pain or dismay, with the -p adding onto it in the same way as yep and nope. Or, yipes may be derived from the yipping sound that dogs make. Or, possibly a conflation of both of the previous.

Meanings

1. (humorous, informal, often) Expression of shock and alarm.
   • Then she told me I was ‘beautiful, for a black girl’. —Yikes!
   • Yikes! A monster!
2. (humorous, informal, often) Expression of empathy with unpleasant or undesirable circumstances.
   • John has lost his job and can't pay his mortgage; yikes!
   • EXACTLY, BLOCKHEAD!! BONK [hitting head] / AGH… / [detective watching behind door] YIKES…DID HE WAKE UP? 2006, Gosho Aoyama [pseudonym; Yoshimasa Aoyama], translated by Naoko Amemiya, “File 1: Real Self”, in Case Closed, volume 13, San Francisco, Calif.: VIZ Media, →ISBN, page 10:

Forms

Deriveds

big yikes · yikes on bikes

Relateds

yeesh · uh-oh · eek · jeez · sheesh

Synonyms

eek (expressing unpleasant surprise) · wow

Translations (34)

fi auts (expression of empathy with unpleasant or undesirable circumstances) · fr houlà (expression of shock and alarm) · ru ох (expression of empathy with unpleasant or undesirable circumstances) · ca caram (expression of shock and alarm) · cmn 哎呀媽呀 /哎呀妈呀 (expression of shock and alarm) · ru ой (expression of empathy with unpleasant or undesirable circumstances) · eo ho (expression of shock and alarm) · it accidenti (expression of shock and alarm) · es huy (expression of shock and alarm) · es caray (expression of shock and alarm) · ms aduh (expression of shock and alarm) · es caramba (expression of shock and alarm) · hu jesszus (expression of shock and alarm) · fi iik (expression of shock and alarm) · ca renoi (expression of shock and alarm) · mi aī (expression of shock and alarm) · es ño (expression of shock and alarm) · hu jaj (expression of shock and alarm) · eo hu (expression of shock and alarm) · ru ай (expression of empathy with unpleasant or undesirable circumstances) · pt credo! (expression of shock and alarm) · es cielos (expression of shock and alarm) · eo ve (expression of empathy with unpleasant or undesirable circumstances) · pt cruzes! (expression of shock and alarm) · fi hui (expression of shock and alarm) · es ostras (expression of shock and alarm) · eo skorzonero (expression of shock and alarm) · eo ve (expression of shock and alarm) · de o Schreck (expression of shock and alarm) · ru ах (expression of empathy with unpleasant or undesirable circumstances) · fi jopas (expression of empathy with unpleasant or undesirable circumstances) · de huch (expression of shock and alarm) · nn huff a meg (expression of shock and alarm) · eo aj (expression of shock and alarm)