Tootle-loo/toodle-loo

Posted by ESC on May 05, 2004

In Reply to: Tootle-loo/toodle-loo posted by sara on May 05, 2004

: "toodle-loo" seems to come from a permutation of the French expression "(à) tout à l'heure" which can mean, more or less, "bye, see you later." When pronounced with a heavy British/anglophone accent, this expression sounds strikingly like "toodle-loor."

: Has anyone found out conclusively yet where the English expression came from?

It doesn't look like it.

TOODLE-OO int. Also tootle-oo. Brit. Dated. Goodbye. Also toodle-, tootle-pip. 1907- Standard. Toodlepip to the poor British Exec . Origin unknown; perhaps from 'toot' noun, short blast on a horn.

From The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang by John Ayto and John Simpson (Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York, 1996):

• Troodleoop! SR 05/May/04