Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A toy consisting of a flattened spool wound with string that is spun down from and reeled up to the hand by motions of the wrist.
- noun Informal One that undergoes frequent abrupt shifts or reversals, as of opinion or emotion; a vacillator.
- noun Slang A stupid or objectionable person.
- intransitive verb To undergo frequent abrupt shifts or reversals, as of opinion or emotion; vacillate.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
toy consisting of aspheroidal orcylindrical spindle having a circulargroove in whichstring iswound ; it is used by holding the string in the fingers andreeling the spindleup anddown by movements of thewrist . - noun finance A
volatile market that moves up and down. - noun informal Someone who
vacillates . - noun informal A
foolish ,annoying orincompetent person. - verb intransitive To
vacillate ; to move up and down.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a toy consisting of a spool that is reeled up and down on a string by motions of the hand
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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When asked why officials would not give Alden another chance, Gelder said the state wanted to avoid what he termed "yo-yo" facilities: "They do a really good job when they know someone is coming to look, but yet we have problems as soon as the spotlight is turned off.
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First, they make you feel like a loser, and then something even worse happens to so-called yo-yo dieters.
Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy JJ Virgin 2010
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But this leads to a behavioral cycle in which your system “doesn’t work” or you can’t get back into a healthy mind-set—some people call it yo-yo dieting.
The Flex Diet M.D. James Beckerman 2011
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But this leads to a behavioral cycle in which your system “doesn’t work” or you can’t get back into a healthy mind-set—some people call it yo-yo dieting.
The Flex Diet M.D. James Beckerman 2011
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Kim Bensen, a lifetime yo-yo dieter who lost more than 200 pounds, currently leads motivational weight loss meetings at Calvary Church in Trumbull at 6:30, Wednesday nights.
Kim Bensen: Samantha: One Woman's Weight Loss Journey Kim Bensen 2011
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Kim Bensen, a lifetime yo-yo dieter who lost more than 200 pounds, currently leads motivational weight loss meetings at Calvary Church in Trumbull at 6:30, Wednesday nights.
Kim Bensen: Samantha: One Woman's Weight Loss Journey Kim Bensen 2011
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I could continue this yo-yo description of euroland affairs were it not that I will run out of good news to juxtapose against the bad.
Euroland Should Prepare for More Ups and Downs in Its Yo-Yo Economy Irwin Stelzer 2010
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Kim Bensen, a lifetime yo-yo dieter who lost more than 200 pounds, currently leads motivational weight loss meetings at Calvary Church in Trumbull at 6:30, Wednesday nights.
Kim Bensen: Samantha: One Woman's Weight Loss Journey Kim Bensen 2011
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Kim Bensen, a lifetime yo-yo dieter who lost more than 200 pounds, currently leads motivational weight loss meetings at Calvary Church in Trumbull at 6:30, Wednesday nights.
Kim Bensen: Samantha: One Woman's Weight Loss Journey Kim Bensen 2011
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A crew from the Townhall.com conservative news site gave passersby the choice of a T-shirt, a yo-yo or lip balm.
CPAC gets underway on wave of 2010 midterm momentum Amy Gardner 2011
treeseed commented on the word yo-yo
See Duncan Imperial
January 28, 2008
bilby commented on the word yo-yo
A weekend hippy.
April 3, 2008
vanishedone commented on the word yo-yo
As a verb: 'All went well at first, with inflation, and therefore rent rises, staying low. Over the past year, however, the RPI has yo-yoed. In 2008 it rose steadily, hitting 5 percent in September before falling back to 0.9 percent by the end of the year.' (Private Eye #1229, p.6)
February 5, 2009
oroboros commented on the word yo-yo
The second oldest toy (after doll). Via Says You.
January 3, 2010
madmouth commented on the word yo-yo
I'd thought the top was
January 3, 2010