Hey All,

I came across this line in TAGLINES the other day and it got me wondering again, why in the world would someone come up with an answer like this, not just "Yes", "Sure", etc..?

"Why yes, I -do- work for a unit of the Illuminati."

After 0.5 min of google searching I found a reddit post on /r/english and I think the comments are quite explanatory (as follows). If you feel something needs to be improved or corrected, please do so.

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ù "Why" is being used as an interjection here to express surprise. "Why" isn't used to ask a question in this instance.

ù Think of it more as emphasizing agreement, usually because you think the idea is just that good (though it can be because the suggestion was initially surprising).

"Hey dad, should we go see the game on Saturday?"
"Why yes Timmy, I think we should."
(Timmy's dad is either pleasantly surprised at Timmy's suggestion,
or he is simply very into the idea of seeing the game with his son).

ù Think of "why" in this context as "actually" yes.

ù "Why yes" = "yes, of course".

ù "Why" is a general interjection/introduction suggesting mild surprise, especially surprise at a question whose answer should be obvious.

"Who are you supporting in the match today?"
"Why, the Tigers, of course!"
"Why, it's Alison! I haven't seen her in weeks!"

"Well" can be used similarly, but with less surprise.

"What's the plan for today?"
"Well, I think we'll start by trimming the hedges, then paint the fence.

ù It's a pretty fashioned way of saying things, so I wouldn't expect you'd hear it all that often? It's definitely not a common use of "why" in everyday speech in any of the English speaking countries I've been to (UK, US, Canada, Australia, NZ) and if I heard someone say it I'd think they were joking around trying to sound like a fancy gentleman wearing a top hat. :P


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