I was watching The Philadelphia Story (1940) with Katharine Hepburn as Tracy Lord who, describing a boat she and her ex owned (C.K. Dexter Haven played by Cary Grant) called the True Love says, “My, she was yar.” I always loved that scene, Hepburn at the pool in a chic one-piece and white bathing cap swanning off a rich girl’s diving board.
Yare, or yar, an adjective pronounced like yard minus the d, is a nautical term meaning, responding promptly to the helm…softy held, easily manageable.
You see how it can also describe a beauty like Hepburn when later in the film she tells her ex she’s about to remarry: Oh Dexter, I’ll be yar now. I promise to be yar.
He says: Be whatever you like, you’re my redhead. sigh…kinda makes you want to go out and henna your hair, doesn’t it?
When used in that way, it sifts through so many sister words…silky and polished, refined and poised, clean, lustrous and shining. Neat and tidy, immaculate and dignified, dashing, debonair and sleek.
Elegant in body, smooth to the touch.
It’s a word, unless you’re a sailor or movie aficionado, you’d never come across, but what a treat if you happen to.
I want to be yar – easy to handle, elegant in body, smooth to the touch.
Wouldn’t you? 
A new word. Love it! And I’ve always liked the word debonair. So many of the ‘older’ words are fading away. Well, those of us who appreciate them will do our best to keep the flame alive.
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Debonair, a great word…see how they bleed into one another? I love that. I used to play a parlor game where you’d think of a word and we’d have to come up with a synonym and you’d see how, after a couple of rounds, it would change ever so slightly. Yar is a great word although I’ve only heard it in The Philadelphia Story and if you read Philip Barry’s play.
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I’ll be in Rhode Island soon, and will fit right in with all the “boat people” of town when I can toss around words like “yar.” Won’t they be surprised?
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That’s pretty funny. It’s a real word, and you can be just as yar as any fancy boat. 🙂
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I’ve never heard but then again, I’m not exactly yar!
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Says who? 🙂
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What a great word. No, I’d never heard that before. Now I feel like I should look for a place to use it. Thanks for the interesting vocabulary lesson, as always. 🙂
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To be fair, I’ve only heard it in that movie that’s great, by the way, if you’ve never seen it. It’s always amazing to me how many words there are. Thanks.
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“Yar” sounds too much like the nonsense we get from the Hooray Henrys to my English ears. (Don’t I remember it from High Society too?)
I prefer “pulchritudinous”. I know it’s a mouthful, but it makes folk prick up their ears.
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It’s certainly not the prettiest word considering its meaning. Fair and attractive. Webster clearly had a bent sense of humor. Love words.
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Yar, also sounds like a beautifully tender and romantic symbol of care and affection as well. :O)
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Tell that to Mick in Britain. He appears offended. Sigh
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LOL!!! Mick, had me at pulchritudinous! I almost fell over laughing. I’d never heard of the word, but thought he was referring to some kind of orthodontist. Perhaps, one with an affection for your teeth—I mean, after I looked up what it meant. What a great word, Mick! 😀
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He’ll like that.
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Boy, let’s hope so. Maybe its all the rain over there? Sometimes it’s nice (so serene and all), but too much of a good thing? Well, you know. I mean, no wonder Santa likes to get away on Christmas Eve! 😀
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He’s no dummy, plus I’ll be he carries a flask.
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No dummy indeed, that’s for sure. And as for his possibly carrying a flask around—which shows intelligence right there, given the weather in the UK—it should be a required part of the attire over there—brrr!
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Agreed
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I was flipping the channels and also stopped at The Philadelphia Story. Thank you Grasshopper for picking up on this great word and sharing it with us. That scene is so profound, especially when you put in into the context of today. This gem of a word would have been accented with an f-bomb or two just to see tickets. Things were much more yar when life was simpler. (I had to fight with spellcheck to include yar)
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It spells it yare, but in the play Barry has yar. Did all my research as though someone cared. Well, you might.
Yes, life was simpler since no one was Tweeting or emailing, letters and a plain old house phone being the only way to say hello or good bye. I love when Tracy dumps George who’s such an ass. We’ve all known a George Kitridge in our life. “You’re my redhead…”
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