No Way Jose Meaning
Definition: Definitely not.
This is a variation of the shorter expression no way. These both add emphasis to a simple no.
Origin of No Way Jose
This expression originated around the 1960s. The exact origin is unclear. However, it likely became popular simply because Jose rhymed with no way. It is likely that there it was not based off of a real Jose.
No way is a shorter way to communicate the idea there is no way that will happen.
Jose is a Spanish name, so the J sounds like an H and the e at the end of the name sounds like a. In other words, spellings like no way hose, no way hoze, and no way hosey are misspellings.
Examples of No Way Jose
Here is an example of two family members using the expression while at home.
Grandmother: Hey! It’s time for dinner. I made you some chicken feet and pig snouts.
Granddaughter: Ugh! That sounds awful! Why would you cook that?
Grandmother: I heard it was good, and I wanted to try some new recipes and different cuisine. Come on. Just try it!
Granddaughter: No way, Jose! Not happening!
The second dialogue shows a daughter explaining why she can’t take a break from studying.
Father: Listen. I’m really worried about you. From the moment you come home from school to the moment you go to bed, you’re always working on homework. I don’t think it’s healthy for you to have this much to do. I want you to consider dropping a class or two so you have more free time and can relax.
Daughter: No way, Jose! If I’m going to get into Harvard or Yale, I have to work hard nonstop!
More Examples
This excerpt uses the expression to talk about baseball statistics. The author asks the readers to guess who has the best statistics in several categories: a famous established player, or a lesser-known new player.
He asks if readers guessed the famous, established player. He then uses the expression to emphasize that it is not the famous player, but rather the new player, with the better statistics.
- But after 706 career games for each, guess who leads these key categories: hits, batting average, doubles, stolen bases and OPS. One of the legendary cogs of the Big Red Machine? No way, Jose. It’s all Altuve. –Houston Chronicle
This excerpt uses the expression to emphasize that Mexico definitely won’t pay for a wall to keep its citizens out of the United States, despite the U.S. president claiming it would.
- Is Mexico going to pay for President Trump’s “big beautiful wall” on the U.S.-Mexico border? No way, Jose. –USA Today
Summary
The phrase no way, Jose is another way to say absolutely not.
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