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May L. Posted 21 years ago
Vocabulary

Eight

I met a strange thing in a book by P.G. Wodehouse: the word "Eight" used like "yes" or something like that. Where does it come from? Is it a jargon of some kind?

Thank you.
  

Top answer

Can you give us an example please.

— Nona the brit

  • Can you give us an example please.
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14 Answers
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Can you give us an example please.
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I've seen Aight used, which is slang for All Right, which can mean yes.
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Hi,

I'm amazed to find numerous hits for 'aight' on Google. As Vorpar says, it seems to be a contraction of 'all right'. I'm not sure how it is to be pronounced. I think it's part of hip-hop/rap/gangsta slang.

Here it is, in a context from the 'net. Good luck!

Bo! Selecta! Here is a selection of da best gear for da sistas and bruvvas of da world da
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Could it have been "righto", May?

MrP
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Clive is right, at least for aight. I know nothing of eight, except that it's a number.
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It's pronounced ah-Ite, second part rhymes with tight.
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Thank you all ever so much!

My example can hardly be rap or hip-hop, since it's early 20th century, but it can well be its ancestor. It's in a novel by Wodehouse, A Gentleman of Leisure, and the talk takes place in England, but the speaker is American. Anyway, I think 'all right' is quite relevant. Here is the quote, if you are interested:

"Well, I mu
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All I can think of is that eight is relevant to their previous conversation or meeting. They are arranging to meet at a train station. Do they meet on platform 8?
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May L.
"Eight. Good-bye."

"e" is next to "r" on a keyboard; could be a typo for "right".
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