yes, Virginia
phrase/ˈjɛs vəˈd͡ʒɪn.i.ə/UK/ˈjɛs vəɹˈd͡ʒɪn.jə/US
Etymology
From a celebrated line in an editorial on September 27, 1897, by the American journalist Francis Pharcellus Church (1839–1906) in The Sun newspaper published in New York City, in response to eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon asking whether Santa Claus was real: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.”
Definitions
Used to express that something is true, despite skepticism by some people.
- Yes, Virginia, there IS a speed limit at Broome Tech, and all violators will be duly punished.
- He [David Bradford] is perhaps the nation's preeminent tax scholar. And yes, Virginia, the president and the Congress have disregarded most of what he has to say.
The neighborhood
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for yes, Virginia. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA