gardyloo

[ gahr-dee-loo ]

interjection

1. (a cry formerly used in Scotland to warn pedestrians when slops were about to be thrown from an upstairs window.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of gardyloo¹

1760–70; Anglicized form of French gare ( de ) l'eau beware of the water

Example Sentences

In 1976, Ferguson's built one such vessel for Lothian Regional Council named Gardyloo - after the traditional warning cry given by the Edinburgh residents before they emptied their chamber pots out of tenement windows.

From BBC

Gardyloo soon became an unlikely visitor attraction.

From BBC

By the time an EU directive abruptly ended sewage dumping at sea in 1998, Gardyloo had carried more than 6,000 passengers.

From BBC

The Gardyloo boat was previously used to transport and release treated sewage into the Forth but that ended in 1998.

From BBC

He opens his mouth to shut Logan up, when Logan suddenly hollers, “Gardyloo!” and slings the contents of the wastebasket across the front of the room.

From Literature