aye, aye, sir
English
Phrase
- Alternative form of aye aye, sir.
- 1913 June–December, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Wreck of the ‘Lady Alice’”, in The Return of Tarzan, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, […], published March 1915, →OCLC, page 172:
- “I fear that there is something more serious than accident here, Mr. Brently,” said the captain. “I wish that you would make a personal and very careful examination of Mr. Caldwell’s effects, to ascertain if there is any clew to a motive either for suicide or murder—sift the thing to the bottom.” “Aye, aye, sir!” responded Mr. Brently, and left to commence his investigation.
- 1945 April 22, AP [Associated Press], “Navy Phones Go ‘Aye, Aye, Sir’”, in The New York Times[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 6 July 2025:
- Beginning tomorrow, telephone operators at the Navy Department’s giant 60,000-call-a-day switchboard will abandon the traditional “thank you” acknowledgment of requests, in favor of the salty and exclusively maritime “Aye, aye, sir!” “A little something extra,” the Navy calls it—“an affirmative answer with a personality.”
- 1954, Robert C. Du Soe, chapter XI, in Detached Command, New York, N.Y.; London; Toronto, Ont.: Longmans, Green and Co., →LCCN, →OCLC, page 152:
- “Remember, no shooting unless you have to. Use your saber.” / “Aye, aye, sir.” Asa could not resist a salute.
- 1981 March, James Webb, chapter 0915, in A Sense of Honor, New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, published April 1982, →ISBN, part 4 (Sunday, February 11, 1968), page 203:
- “Can it wait?” / “Sir, yes sir. I suppose, sir.” / “Then wait, Dean. I don’t need to think about all that when I’m on liberty.” / “Sir, I—” They were all staring at him, not unkindly, but he had intruded and he had no business in their Sunday lives. “Aye, aye, sir.” Can’t you even introduce me? “Well, have a nice day, sir.”