What is the exact meaning of “You've got yourself a deal”? Is it only an American slang?

Solution 1:

It is a pretty common expression in the US. A more formal/"proper" way of saying the same thing would be: "We have a deal."

A few things that make it slang/idiomatic:

• Using 'you' instead of 'we', even though a deal is typically an arrangement between two or more people.
• Using 'You got' instead of the more formal: You have got, or You have.
• The extra 'yourself', which is just redundant and I presume used for emphasis.

I would not call it "vulgar" because there's really nothing inherently offensive about the phrase. Unless one is offended by the less-than-stellar grammar :)

Solution 2:

I consider the use of "yourself" here to be both emphatic (which I consider to be its primary purpose) and literal. View the literal version this way: "You have obtained for yourself a deal." In other words, "you" as the agent of negotiation have secured a deal on behalf of yourself. It may seem a bit redundant, but after all, one can negotiate a deal on behalf of someone else.

I would assert that it is certainly not considered vulgar, in the usual sense in which most people use the term. Any individual might consider it so, but I would be willing to suggest that Archer is actually trying to make a point about Mrs. Sherwood's character, much more than about the phrase itself. I feel, however, that he is warping "vulgar" into a usage that may not be quite accurate. Would a person of her breeding and position actually feel that the phrase is vulgar? I don't think so, but this is just my gut feeling. Perhaps she would call it "colorful." Or perhaps "crude." Or maybe she really feels it's vulgar, but again, the point of the passage in the book is more about her opinion of the phrase than it is about what most people think.

One last point: "You got yourself a deal" used as a response to "are you playing the drums?" looks a little strange, unless we interpret the question as not really a question, but in fact a form of insistence that Makeo should play the drums ("Well? I need you to play the drums on Saturday, so are you playing the drums or not?"), and Makeo is finally agreeing to do so.

Solution 3:

Questions 1-3 have been answered thoroughly by the previous posters - and I agree with them so I won't unnecessarily repeat what they've correctly said.

On the question of vulgarity, however: it is wrong to say the meaning of "vulgar" is currently limited to the offensive, i.e. insults. The primary meaning of vulgarity, as given in the majority of dictionaries available online (and therefore the whole world) is:

adjective /ˈvəlgər/ 

Lacking sophistication or good taste; unrefined - the vulgar trappings of wealth

With the secondary meaning being:

Making explicit and offensive reference to sex or bodily functions; coarse and rude - a vulgar joke

and the third meaning being:

Characteristic of or belonging to the masses

I could certainly easily understand what you meant there by "vulgar". The context made it clear that it meant "of the people; of the lower classes" rather than "crass and offensive". So yes, anyone would be right to declare that style of speaking "vulgar", though they will undoubtedly confuse people who aren't used to the broader meaning of the word. But it is still correct.