get one's ya-yas out

English

Etymology

Popularized by 'Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!': The Rolling Stones in Concert, an 1970 live album by English rock band the Rolling Stones.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

get one's ya-yas out (third-person singular simple present gets one's ya-yas out, present participle getting one's ya-yas out, simple past got one's ya-yas out, past participle gotten one's ya-yas out)

1. (US, slang) To behave in a wild and carefree manner, so as to use up excess energy or exuberance.
   • 2005, Vanity Fair, numbers 537-539, page 110:

     […] Feist still gets her ya-yas out as part of atmospheric-rock collective Broken Social Scene, and just a few years ago she could be found rapping in Spanish through a sock puppet […]

   • 2009, Rachel Toor, The Pig and I, page 14:

     Maybe she was just getting her ya-yas out, running for the sheer joy of being in a physical body.

   • 2012, Heidi Murkoff, What to Expect: The Second Year:

     Pounding with a toy hammer or banging on a toy drum, punching a pillow, pounding on play clay, running around outdoors, and swinging on a swing can also help him get his ya-yas out.