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"Yay big" with or without the actual estimate of the size?

y-shin
Hi! This is my first post in this sub. I work at a language school (not in English-native country, and of course I'm not a native speaker of English) and from time to time I have to explain various stuff of my country to international students. Just a part of my job. One time I talked about a specific kind of envelope used by the local government. I said to one of the students "... like yay big?" with my hand gestures trying to give him an idea of how big it would actually be. That student pointed out for me that one has to specify how big it'd be by stating with actual numbers of estimate, e.g. 6 inches or 3 feet or whatever it is, when saying "yay big". Btw he's from America. Some days have passed and I watched an American TV show and I saw the scene where a character talks about his dog and says "... yay big?" with his hand gesture showing how big his dog is, but didn't say any number like 4 feet or something. So which is common/correct, "yay big" with or without numbers? Or does it depend on what kind of situation it is? Give me any insight and I'd appreciate it!

42 comments

OneTrueTreeTree•
“Yea big” is not used with a specific measurement, and doing so would feel really weird/wrong to a native speaker. You are correct.
Snorlaxolotl•
1. It’s spelled “yea” (pronounced the same) 2. I usually say yea big/high to provide a rough visual estimate of a size, and usually don’t provide a specific number.
t90fan•
You are correct in your usage The whole point of the yay is to avoid providing a specific number, but rather just a rough visual estimate The person you talked to is just being weird.
Pandaburn•
It means the same as “this big”. You have to provide a reference point, like with your hands, or pointing to something the same size.
TheMadGent•
I would only ever say “yay big” if I was giving a rough estimate of the size, usually with a gesture. If I had a specific measurement in mind, I would just say “about six inches”, e.g., instead.
MasterOfCelebrations•
It’s spelled yea, sir Also you don’t have to give an exact measurement when saying “yea big.” If you had an exact measurement you wouldn’t be saying “yea big”
skizelo•
"It's yay big" and vague gesturing is natural-sounding, colloquial english. It's useful for when you're speaking off-the-cuff and haven't measured whatever it is you're discussing. This is obviously not appropriate for all situations, as accuracy often matters. It's also quite casual in tone, which might be annoyingly unprofessional, but it shouldn't give offence in most circumstances.
JNSapakoh•
"yea big" basically means "look at my hand gestures big" and is usually used for estimations and vague sizes
FiddleThruTheFlowers•
I've never heard it with actual measurements. It's always something like holding both hands to show the approximate size or holding one hand next to you to show the approximate height. I've seen it a few times where somebody uses a physical object around the same size to demonstrate. But the latter is usually "about as big as x." If I wanted to give an actual estimate, I'd flat out say "it's about two feet tall," or "it's about two feet tall and three feet wide," or whatever the measurement is.
asplodingturdis•
As others have said, you don’t need to provide a specific number of units when using “yea big.” In fact, I’m not even sure how you’d do that naturally, because the whole point of the phrase is estimation using a reference object, instead of needing measurements.
AiRaikuHamburger•
You would say "It's about yea big," while motioning with your hands. If you knew the actual measurements you could just say that without gesturing.
Dickcheese_McDoogles•
It's pronounced "yay" but spelled "yea" (I actually usually type it as "yae" with the A and the E swapped, but I'm seeing here that that's not typical), and it is ****always*** accompanied by gesture of the hands. It's essentially a stylistic choice that's no more specific than the word 'this' if you were to say "about *this* big," though it's connotation seems to slightly emphasize the approximate-ness of the measurement.
thestareater•
saying "yea big" while using your hands and visual cues is correct. nobody goes "yea 6 inches big", you said "yea" in lieu of the actual measurements because it is an estimate... that is to say, you used it correctly and the student that's trying to point it out to you is incorrect.
tiger_guppy•
You’re completely correct. I’ve actually never seen the phrase spelled out before, it’s kind of weird to see it. I don’t know why, but my brain is telling me it’s not spelled “yay”. Like there’s supposed to be an “e” in there. … Ok I googled it and technically it’s spelled “yea big”. I think it’s an archaic word, because if I saw the word “yea” in the wild, I’d think it’s just “yeah”. But I’ve seen that word in the Bible, pronounced like “yay”. So I’m not overly surprised.
mothwhimsy•
Yea big is specifically for a vague estimate of a size. If you used a number that would be a specific measurement and you would not say "yea big." The student is entirely wrong
Jaives•
Yay big is an estimation, hence the hand gestures.
ShakeWeightMyDick•
Your student is either messing with you or doesn’t k is what they’re talking about. Saying “yea big,” while making some gesture to indicate an approximation of the size is just a colloquial way of giving a rough estimate. One wouldn’t give an exact measurement because that would defeat the purpose of being vague.
sticky-dynamics•
You're right. Usually with "yea" you'd visually indicate the size with some kind of gesture. It's the same as saying "this big".
kelsigurado•
I always have assumed that, "yea", was just another just an archaic form of the word, "this".
kw3lyk•
The expression you're asking about is always accompanied by some kind of hand gesture to show the approximate size.
NE0099•
I’ve heard people follow up “yea big” with an estimate of how big they think the thing is. Ex. “It’s yea big (hand gesture). Maybe 6x8.” It’s not necessary, though. I think some people are just better able to estimate the numbers when they’re marking out the size with their hands or considering the thing they’re talking about in relation to something else. It’s more of a speech pattern/processing thing than a linguistic thing.
Logical_Orange_3793•
As the overwhelming majority said, you were correct and the student was mistaken. It’s a bit dated in usage and I only use it if I am trying to sound folksy in an ironic way. So depending on age of your student, they might not really hear it used.
DazzlingClassic185•
More of an Americanism to be honest, but i have heard some English people say this too
Snezzy_9245•
You can use it humorously without the hand waving, or even over the phone. It then means some nebulous size. The Andromeda Galaxy is about yea big. Or maybe even bigger.
notxbatman•
Yea is just for a visual representation of how big something is. You might say, "30cm is about yea big" and spread your arms to around 30cm.
PeachBlossomBee•
“Yea” big. Not yay
Nondescript_Redditor•
The hand gesture is the measurement
Mistigeblou•
Yay big /yea big (depending where you are) is usually used as approximate size using hands or gestures. If you're adding a size, yay shouldn't be there but 'about/around' work instead: Its about 1ft long It's around 1ft long It's yay big *hold hand about 1 foot apart*
Bloodmind•
My suspicion is that the phrase is both regional and, where it is used, falling out of common use. Older folks from certain areas probably use it regularly, but younger folks from other areas may not have ever heard it in person. The standard usage doesn’t require exact measurements, and in fact is used to signify that you’re approximating with some visual aid. You would never just say “it’s yay big” without some kind of visual indication to go with it, and no one would ever assume that your visual indication is anything other than a rough estimate.
BouncingSphinx•
“Yea/yay big” is very appropriate, but only when able to give visual estimates of size. In these instances, you could say “about this” instead of “yea” Yea big with hands spread apart, or yea high with a palm to the ground like you have your hand on top of what you are estimating height, to give a visual cue to whoever you are talking to. “The fish was yea big (with hands about 30 cm apart).” “The dirt pile was yea high (with one hand about chest height.” The whole point is to give a visual indication of size without an actual numerical estimation of size. Everyone can see your hands, not everyone can immediately visualize a length in cm.
cinder7usa•
You’re correct. Specific numbers aren’t used with ‘yay big’. It doesn’t make sense unless we’re indicating with hand gestures how tall someone/something is, or how wide.
stevieZzZ•
I think you have it spot on. Yay/Yea big is used as a quick reference to size without knowing the exact measurements. I usually see it when someone is looking for a lost item or an item at a store, or at the post office needing a box to ship. But it can be used for pretty much anything you need to describe by size. Most people aren't going to know the exact dimensions of items so it's pretty common to see. I work anti-theft for a retailer and I often ask my coworkers in other department for help identifying items from camera video that were stolen. Most of the time I will say something along the lines of: "I'm looking for an item that got selected somewhere around here. It's a blue box, about "yea big" and has this kind of marking on it" All while gesturing the size with my hands. So we all have the same reference to go off.
OstrichCareful7715•
I consider this expression a bit folksy. It makes me think of farmers talking about ponies or mountain lions. Or how Pa or Mr Edwards spoke in the Little House books It’s not one I think I’d ever use personally a millennial age New Yorker. I’d just say “it was about this (and gesture) big.”
TopHatGirlInATuxedo•
The entire point is you don't know the measurements? Whoever you were talking to was either messing with you or just dumb.
Cliffy73•
I have never used common nor seen used, that expression with a numerical estimate. It is exclusively used with hand gestures.
abbot_x•
The student is wrong. Saying *yea big,* *yea high*, *yea long*, etc. is almost always accompanied by a hand gesture showing the indicated measure. It's basically required, and saying *yea* kind of points to the gesture: *The fish was about yea big* means *The fish was about as big as the space between my hands as I have positioned them, so you must look at my hands to understand the story.* There are a few formulaic phrases like *since I was yea high* that don't require a gesture; a small measure is implied. *I've known her since I was yea high* just means *I've known her since I was a small child*. You would never, ever say a measure with numbers and units with a *yea* measure; that's the whole point! With *yea* you gesture to indicate the measure. Suppose the fish in the story was about two feet long. Your options are to say *The fish was about two feet long* or *The fish was about yea big* \[holding your hands about two feet apart\].
NeinDank•
Your American was wrong, it's been known to happen once in a while.
bloodectomy•
Without. When something is "about yay" you're only providing a very ballpark estimate, else you'd just say it was X inches or feet or whatever.
ReySpacefighter•
"Yea big" comes with a gesture in spoken English to give reference to the size they're talking about. It doesn't make much sense without it.
Callec254•
You used the phrase correctly. It is not a precise measurement.
JennyPaints•
As everyone has already said, "yea big" is used to estimate size with your hands when you don't know the measurements. You can also say "yea tall," and "yea long." If you can indicate appropriate size with your hands "yea" will work. Many people add "about." "It's about yea long." It's also common to use "about this" instead. "I want an envelope about this big." "My son is about this tall." It may be regional usage but I sometimes hear people use "about so." In the same way.
weatherbuzz•
You don’t use it with numbers. It’s a hand gesture thing. Also, I tend to find this expression a little bit dated and/or confined to certain more rural dialects. Everyone will understand you for sure but I’ve never heard it used among people my age without specifically trying to imitate more rural speech (millennial-gen z, American).