Today: "Yo!"

1. Years ago, the Italian-American actor Sylvester Stallone wrote and drected a motion picture entitled Rocky III. In one scene early in the film, Mr. Stallone's character -- a boxer of some reputation -- walks through the grey streets of Philadelphia pondering his future. When addressed by a stranger, Mr. Stallone's character responds with a single syllable:

"Yo!"

2. Between 1987 and 1990, a popular television comedy series entitled My Two Dads aired across the United States on the National Broadcasting Company's network, and was also broadcast in many other countries around the world. The popular author Paul Reiser portrayed one of the two fathers in question; he was was the "square" one.

In one episode, Mr. Reiser's character attempted to shed his conservatism and become comparatively "phresh." When addressed by Staci Keanan (the young American actress who portrayed the narrator), Mr. Reiser responded with a flourish:

"Yo!"

3. That is nearly all for "Yo!".

4. In the years before the Eveready Battery Company adopted a small plush toy as its official commercial spokesman, the firm employed a blond-haired foreign gentleman in that capacity. He did not say "Yo!".

However, when audio recordings of his television appearances are are played in reverse, they all appear to begin with a single, shouted syllable:

"Yo!"