I went looking for the origin of the word, “yips” because I watched the movie, “The human comedy” the other night. It was made the year I was born, 1943, and featured California (also where I was born). There is an interesting interlude in the movie featuring Robert Mitchum and two other soldiers who meet a couple of girls. They tease one of the three with the words,”he has the yips” in order to gain the sympathy of the two girls. The word may have shown up in print in 1963 but it was in use by 1943.
The word “yips” was in use in 1943. In the movie, The Human Comedy, Robert Mitchum and another actor teased a third (all soldiers) saying “he has the yips” in order to impress two girls they met and gain their sympathy.
MJ Gee:
May 14th, 2018 at 10:27 am
From Scarface 1932:
Tony: Hey, what’s all the time eatin’ you? You afraid of me?
Poppy: Well, that outfit’s enough to give anybody the yips.
Tony: Nice, huh? I got three more. Different colors.
Gail:
September 29th, 2019 at 10:07 pm
It’s news to me that only athletes get the yips. I’ve heard this used generically all my life. I wonder if that could be a regional thing? I’m from New England and we’ve got all sorts of interesting slang, something I found out when I lived in other places.
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mary eleanor haenggi:
August 16th, 2013 at 6:32 pm
I went looking for the origin of the word, “yips” because I watched the movie, “The human comedy” the other night. It was made the year I was born, 1943, and featured California (also where I was born). There is an interesting interlude in the movie featuring Robert Mitchum and two other soldiers who meet a couple of girls. They tease one of the three with the words,”he has the yips” in order to gain the sympathy of the two girls. The word may have shown up in print in 1963 but it was in use by 1943.
mary eleanor haenggi:
August 16th, 2013 at 6:34 pm
The word “yips” was in use in 1943. In the movie, The Human Comedy, Robert Mitchum and another actor teased a third (all soldiers) saying “he has the yips” in order to impress two girls they met and gain their sympathy.
MJ Gee:
May 14th, 2018 at 10:27 am
From Scarface 1932:
Tony: Hey, what’s all the time eatin’ you? You afraid of me?
Poppy: Well, that outfit’s enough to give anybody the yips.
Tony: Nice, huh? I got three more. Different colors.
Gail:
September 29th, 2019 at 10:07 pm
It’s news to me that only athletes get the yips. I’ve heard this used generically all my life. I wonder if that could be a regional thing? I’m from New England and we’ve got all sorts of interesting slang, something I found out when I lived in other places.