What does “yo-ho-ho” mean?

Question

The pirate song “Fifteen Men on a Dead Man’s Chest” from Treasure Island contains the expression yo-ho-ho.

Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest—
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest—
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

Does this signify laughter, a piratical variation of ho-ho-ho? It doesn’t seem like an amusing little ditty but then pirates probably would have a dark sense of humour. Or is it simply a more piratey song filler than na-na-na?

score 21 · Accepted Answer · edited Oct 02 '12 at 17:23

21

Accordin’ to yon pirate page, yo-ho-ho indeed be pirate laughter.

But there be also another source claimin’ that ’tis merely a scallywag’s variant of yo-heave-ho, the chant that all good sea-farin’ folk use to keep their rhythm when haulin’ cannon to the scuppers.

Seems ’tis likely yo-ho-ho be used to maintain the rhythm in yer fine sea chantey as well. When ye shipmates sing out yo, yer all be givin’ yon rope a hearty pull.

edited Oct 02 '12 at 17:23

MetaEd

28,488

answered Sep 19 '11 at 02:15

Kit Z. Fox

27,819

5

On the other hand, "yo-oh-no!" means "where has all the rum gone?" – Sep 19 '11 at 13:30
Hah, this answer is brilliant! :D – jcora Oct 04 '12 at 19:46
Because I just have to be that guy, I must add that "scallywag" or "scalawag" is not a pirate expression at all. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow uses it in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but it's a gross anachronism. The word was a Reconstruction-Era (1865 to 1877, long after the Golden Age of piracy) term for a white Southerner who allied himself with black freedmen and the carpetbaggers in support of Republican Party policies. Consider using the word "lubber" instead. – Michael Lorton Dec 25 '14 at 19:59
@malvolio Yargh, that I shall. Many thanks to you. – Kit Z. Fox Dec 25 '14 at 20:13

score 6 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 19 '11 at 02:12

6

Yo-ho-ho is related to yoho, which is in the Oxford Dictionary of English:

An exclamation used to call attention: orig. in nautical use, hence generally; also sometimes used like yo-heave-ho int., q.v.

It dates from the 1700s:

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine (1780) 11, Hola-ho, a cry which answers to yoe-hoe.

Yo ho ho may either have been extended to fit in the song, or an alternative version of yo heave ho or yoho.

answered Sep 19 '11 at 02:12

Do you think then it is a hauling shanty, and this signifies the pull? – z7sg Ѫ Sep 19 '11 at 02:20
1

@z7sgѪ Aye, t'is. – Sep 19 '11 at 02:21
So, it's also related to http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yoohoo :) – coleopterist Aug 01 '12 at 16:28

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 25 '14 at 19:50

0

I think james is correct. In the patrick stewart version of a christmas carol, maybe in the book also, when fezziwig is closing shop, he says " yoho ebinezer, yoho dick", to signal shift is over.

answered Dec 25 '14 at 19:50

Wesley

1

Welcome to ELU. "Answers" should attempt to answer the question (which you have not quite done), not engage in further discussion. This site is not a forum. Please take the site tour and visit the help center for guidance on how to use this site. – anongoodnurse Dec 26 '14 at 07:36

score 0 · Answer 4 · edited Oct 02 '12 at 17:52

0

During the construction of the Canals and railways in England, "Yo-ho, yo-ho" was called to signify the end of a shift.

English Navvies drank prodigious amounts of alcohol at the end of a shift. It would be nice to think that Robert Louis Stevenson made the parallel for Pirates.

Yo-ho and bottle of rum.

edited Oct 02 '12 at 17:52

RegDwigнt

97,231

answered Oct 02 '12 at 17:13

James

1

3

Hello James, can you add some reputable citations to your answer? – MetaEd Oct 02 '12 at 17:22

What does “yo-ho-ho” mean?

4 Answers4

Linked