toodle-oo

[ tood-l-oo ]

interjection

, Informal.

1. goodbye; so long:

   Toodle-oo, and I'll catch you all later today.

toodle-oo

/ ˌtuːdəˈluː /

sentence substitute

1. informal.
   goodbye

Word History and Origins

Origin of toodle-oo¹

First recorded in 1905–10; of disputed origin; perhaps an elaboration of toot ¹( def ); perhaps toodle (variant of dialectal tootle “to toddle”; toddle ( def ) ) + -oo, interjection; perhaps a corruption of French à tout à l'heure “see you later,” literally, “to everything at the hour” ( à la ( def ), tout ensemble ( def ), hour ( def ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of toodle-oo¹

C20: perhaps imitative of the horn of a car

Example Sentences

“Helena, I’m not going to London, England, for pity’s sake, wherever it is. The idea! I am only seeing you off. I am only here to bid you a fond toodle-oo.”

From Literature

She would miss the small jolt she feels while delivering her signature farewell picked up from her grandfather — “Toodle-oo!” — and watching customers’ faces light up.

From Seattle Times

“Yes, well, Henry, Richard, here we are. Lovely. Fine. Thank you so much—beautiful lunch—well, toodle-oo, yes, yes, goodbye—” The door slammed and he shot up the walk at a rapid clip.

From Literature

The album even includes a brief, goofing cover of Duke Ellington’s “East St. Louis Toodle-oo.”

From New York Times

Who else would cover a 1920s Duke Ellington tune, “East St. Louis Toodle-Oo,” at a time when Chicago, John Denver and Bad Company ruled the charts?

From Washington Post

Related Words

• adieu
• bye-bye