YIKES

Where it comes from

Attested from mid-20th century, perhaps derived from yoicks, a hunting call used to urge hounds after a fox, which is attested from 1765–1775, that also is sometimes used as an exclamation of excitement or triumph. Yoicks is perhaps related to the earlier hoicks. Hoicks (alternatively hoick, hoic or hoik) is a variant of hyke, which was used as an exclamation of encouragement to hounds hunting deer. Further etymology unknown. Alternatively, it may be derived from yipes, which is an earlier exclamation of similar usage as yikes (and is often considered to be an alternative form of yikes). Yipes may be derived from yipe, which itself may be derived from the yie sound often used to express pain or dismay, with the -p adding onto it in the same way as yep and nope. Or, yipes may be derived from the yipping sound that dogs make. Or, possibly a conflation of both of the previous.

Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).

YIKES in OUTLIER

Players have found it on 15 boards so far. 22 players have found it across Outlier's history.

It first turned up on Day 26, 15 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 112, 9 September 2026. It was on the latest finished board.

Built from these letters

YIKES starts with Y and ends with S. Sorted, its letters read EIKSY - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.

Same letters, different word

One other word uses exactly these letters. Worth knowing at the board: an anagram fits a grid the same way.

Also seen on Day 26