This is not a saying. It’s confusing because of some grammar being incorrectly translated. In Russian it’s “da net, navernoye”, where “da” is an informal emphatic particle, rather than a positive one meaning “yes”. “Navernoye” (maybe) here expresses a bit of uncertainty, though why people use it along a strict answer “no”) is still unknown.
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– Do you want some cake?
– Yes, no, maybe …
This is not a saying. It’s confusing because of some grammar being incorrectly translated. In Russian it’s “da net, navernoye”, where “da” is an informal emphatic particle, rather than a positive one meaning “yes”. “Navernoye” (maybe) here expresses a bit of uncertainty, though why people use it along a strict answer “no”) is still unknown.