yes and no


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yes and no

In some ways and not others, as in Did you enjoy yourself?-Yes and no, I liked the music itself but hated the conductor. This idiom, always a reply to a question, was first recorded in 1873.
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yes and no

partly and partly not.
1981 Brian Murphy The Enigma Variations ‘Do you believe that if you continue seeing me you'll be damned?’ ‘Yes and no.’
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ˌyes and ˈno

said when you cannot answer either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ because the situation is not simple: ‘Have you got a car?’ ‘Well, yes and no. We have, but it’s not working at the moment.’
See also: and, no, yes