In the phrase, "yellow polka-dot bikini" is the bikini yellow, or are the polkadots yellow?

Answer 1

The dots are yellow. Otherwise it would be Yellow, polka-dot bikini. Assuming your phraseology of course.

Answer 2

When you've got consecutive adjectives, the adjective nearest to the word is the one with the highest priority. So, in this case, the adjective "polka-dot" is given more focus than "yellow."

Another thing to consider is the hyphenation of the words. If yellow were referring to the polka-dots, then the phrase should go "yellow-polka-dot bikini." But since they are separate words, then yellow should definitely refer to the bikini. Putting a coma between the two adjective could help, but there are only two adjectives, so not having a coma is acceptable and should have the same meaning. (thanks to the devolution of English nowadays)

Because of that, it means that whichever has the majority of the space on the bikini (the dots or the space between the dots) also has a yellow color. Because, why would you call something yellow if most of the color on it isn't yellow?

So it's like saying, "The bikini has polka-dots, and the majority of the bikini is yellow."

Which doesn't really make sense, but then again, songs don't need to make sense to be great. Not that anybody in his right mind would think this song is great. No offence to the songwriters.

Answer 3

It was yellow with polka-dots of an undescribed color. Some might think that the reason for the imprecise description of the polka-dots are because the bikini was earlier referred to as "itsy bitsy" and "teenie weeny".

However, the song was a novelty song written by Paul Vance and Lee Hockriss and the girl wearing the bikini is a toddler. The original version was sung by Brian Hyland and became a huge hit. It has been widely covered since with a version by Timmy Mallett of the UK TV kids show Wacaday reaching number 1 in Britain in 1990.

Answer 4

The way that is phrased it could be either. Yellow could be describing the polka-dots or yellow could be describing the bikini. I am guessing that a yellow background would be more common.

Answer 5

The way you have written it, it appears that the polka-dots are yellow. If the words "yellow" and "polka-dot" were both describing the word bikini, they should be separated by commas...hence, "yellow, polka-dot bikini."

Answer 6

Ive seen the elvis movie!!the bikini is yellow with black polka dots,

Answer 7

the bikini is yellow with black polka dots, that was the fashion when the song came out.

Answer 8

yellow bikini with black polka dots

Answer 9

yellow with white polka dots..

Answer 10

the dots are yellow the rest is white