Watching The Amazing Race tonight, I realized that I had moved from dislike to sheer hatred of the phrase “Yeah, baby!” It came on the scene a year or two before Austin Powers completely ruined its novelty. If you say this (and you know who you are because you probably say a lot of these cliché verbal crutches), please consider coming up with something new or, perhaps, ditch the crutches and banter on your own.
If you think about it, its affirmatory power is neither a solid “Yes” and is tempered by the indiscriminate “Baby,” normally reserved for infants or loved ones. If I have to use something like it, I’ll go with a good ol’ “Yes indeedy!” or “You bet your sweet bippy!”—which has the added benefit of being inscrutable to everyone under the age of 30 and nostalgic to those over.