Yankee (n.): a complex horse-racing bet on four selections, consisting of 11 separate gambles: 6 doubles, 4 trebles and a fourfold accumulator. ‘I had a successful Yankee bet’ (Shaw 1957a: 19). Recorded from m.20c.; derivation unknown.

Yak (v.): nag, talk incessantly. ‘Yak: To nag’ (Lane 1966: 119). ‘Yakking at him harder than ever’ (Brown 1989: 11). ‘She does yak on a bit’ (Smith 1998 [1971]: 21). Recorded from m.20c.; an extension of e.20c. ‘yack’, ‘chatter’; supposedly onomatopoeic.

Yard dog (n.): an insult; lowly esteemed person. ‘A yard dog. A customs officer’ (Shaw et al. 1966: 57). *NR in this sense; a m.20c. extension of l.18c. ‘yard dog’, ‘watchdog’.

Yeller clock (n.): gold watch. ‘He could lift … slangs an’ yeller clocks, yooks, twerns an’ jarks with such ease and frequency’ (Clerk 1971 [c.1900]: 69). *NR; glossed by Clerk; derivation is clear. Yen (n.): derogatory term for male homosexual. ‘He was a bit of a yen and would take us to a cabbie shelter at the bottom of Leece Street and do what he liked with us and yonk us’ (Clerk 1971 [c.1900]: 16). Recorded as ‘Liverpool street arabs’: late C.19–20 (Beale (1984) s.v. yen 3); glossed by Clerk; derivation unknown.

Yez/yiz/yis (pron.): you. ‘A muckin’ conchie with yez’ (Hanley 2009 [1940]: 461). ‘Yis'll all go to Hell!’ (Callaghan 2011 [1910s–30s]: 1). See youse. Yimkin (int.): expression of disbelief; rubbish! ‘Yimkin, nonsense; I don't believe it’ (Lane 1966: 120). ‘Yimkin Oh yeah? Nonsense!’ (Spiegl 2000b: 143). Recorded from e.20c.; Forces’ usage; from Iraqi Arabic ‘yimkin’, ‘perhaps’.

Yip (v.): to inform. ‘Rhuie asked if I'd yipped. But he knew I hadn't’ (Clerk 1971 [c.1900]: 43). Recorded as ‘Liverpool street arabs’: late C.19– mid-20’ (Beale (1984) s.v. yip); glossed by Clerk as ‘to split, give away’; derivation unknown.

Yocker (v.): to spit. ‘Ee yockered on me. He spat on me’ (Shaw et al. 1966: 45).