Q. I keep encountering authors who insist on using the word “Yay!” It isn’t in the dictionary. What is the best substitute word, besides “Yes!”?
A. If your authors are using the word inappropriately (“We were able to show a 28.4% reduction in the incidence of inherited metabolic disorders—yay!”), then query it by all means. But to banish a word from all contexts simply because it isn’t in a dictionary is just sticklerism.