yada yada yada

English

Alternative forms

• yada, yada, yada; yadda yadda yadda; yadda, yadda, yadda
• yadi-yadi-ya, yadi yadi yada

Etymology

Probably influenced by (or perhaps an alteration of) yatter or yatata; perhaps onomatopoeic of blather; or perhaps derived from the Norwegian expression jada, jada which has a similar pronunciation and interpretation. Sometimes popularly attributed to Yiddish, but this is dismissed by etymologists.

"Yatter, yatter" is British (specifically Scots) English for "continuous chatter, rambling and persistent talk, nagging". S. R. Crockett, The Men of the Moss-Hags (1895) xxix: "The woman's yatter, yatter easily vexed me." Yadder is a Cumberland word meaning "to talk incessantly; to chatter".

Various variant forms appear in the US 1940s–60s; for example, the 1947 American musical Allegro by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers contains a song called “Yatata, Yatata, Yatata,” about cocktail party chatter; see talk page for additional citations.

The phrase "yadda yadda" was first popularized by the comedian Lenny Bruce in his standup bit "Father Flotsky's Triumph," the closing track on his 1961 album "Lenny Bruce - American." It appeared on television in 1993 in the sitcom "Frasier" (Season 4 Episode 12) when Niles and Frasier are having a conversation seen from a dog's point of view. The phrase gained renewed popularity in the US in the late 1990s on the television show Seinfeld, where it appears as a catchphrase, initially in Season 8, Episode 19, entitled “The Yada Yada”, originally aired on April 24, 1997, which centers on the phrase (in the duplicative “yada yada” form).

Phrase

yada yada yada (chiefly US)

1. And so on; and so forth.
   • 1981 January 5, The Washington Post, page B1:

     I’m talking country codes, asbestos firewalls, yada yada yada.

2. (less commonly) Blah blah blah.

   We chewed it over forever ... yada yada yada, nothing important.

Usage notes

• Normally used mid-sentence:

They’re no good, the lot of them—Yaddeyahdah—They're animals! — Lenny Bruce

• Can be preceded by and in the first sense.

Synonyms

• (and so on): and so forth, and so on, etc., and what have you, and whatnot

Translations

and so on

• French: tsouin-tsouin (fr) m
• Japanese: 云云 (ja) (うんぬん un'nun)
• Portuguese: etc., etc., etc.
• Turkish: falan filan (tr)

blah blah blah

• Thai: บลา บลา บลา (blaa blaa blaa)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Czech: bla bla bla
• Italian: bla bla bla
• Russian: и бла бла бла (i bla bla bla)
• Swedish: bla bla bla

Verb

yada yada yada (third-person singular simple present yada yada yadas, present participle yada yada yadaing, simple past and past participle yada yada yadaed or yada yada yada'd)

1. (transitive) To give little attention or treatment to; to gloss over; to give short shrift to.
   • 2007 November 25, Edward Walsh, “An FBI agent parachutes into the long-cold case of the famous Northwest skyjacking”, in The Oregonian‎^[2]:

     He was certainly not a master criminal who meticulously planned the daring hijacking. […] Borrowing a phrase from the "Seinfeld" television series, Carr says, "He yada, yada, yada'd the jump."

   • 2014 October 10, Mike Scott, “'Kill the Messenger' movie review: Jeremy Renner stars in journalism drama”, in The Times-Picayune‎^[3]:

     What does it say that the most dramatic and potentially stirring part of Webb's story is yadda-yadda-yaddaed in a text card shown just before the closing credits?

   • 2017 February 18, Kristin Chirico, “We Broke Fashion Rules For Plus-Size Women For A Week”, in BuzzFeed‎^[4]:

     In my insecure mind, the First Commandment of having a tummy has always been "Thou shalt own 15 or so A-line skirts," because it emphasizes your boobs and then yada yadas the rest of your body.

   • 2017 February 23, Anna Peele, “Oscars 2017: Everything the Academy Screwed Up This Year”, in GQ‎^[5]:

     The film yadda yaddas the shunned former congressman’s ostensive^[sic] comeback with a montage of pride parades and sweaty hugs with prospective constituents and throws us right into the third act of the tragedy.

   • 2018 November 19, R. Eric Thomas, “Hell Hath No Fury Like Martha Stewart in the Back of a Dirty Uber”, in Elle‎^[6]:

     I love that even Martha gets tired of telling this story. She yadda-yadda-yaddas the specific trials of trying to change directions in Midtown Manhattan.

   • 2018 November 28, Angie Han, “'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' puts the comic book back into comic book movies”, in Mashable‎^[7]:

     A voiceover "yada yadas" the basics of Peter Parker's origin story […]

   • 2019 April 18, Josh Wigler, “‘Game of Thrones’ Final Season: 15 Key Quotes From “Winterfell””, in The Hollywood Reporter‎^[8]:

     It yadda-yaddas the Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan) rescue mission, rather than forcing the issue for an extended arc.

   • 2019 May 3, Emily Yoshida, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile Is a Showcase for Zac Efron, and Not Much Else”, in Vulture‎^[9]:

     Berlinger tracks that first night out with Ted and Liz, and the morning after, and then yadda-yaddas the next five years […]

   • 2025 October 21, Andrew King, “Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 And Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Are The Best Games I’ve Played This Year And I Probably Won’t Finish Them”, in TheGamer‎^[10]:

     […] the game emphasizes that time is short by yada yadaing the stuff that doesn't matter.