off you go!

[crisgal]

where does "skidaddle" come from?

[IndieSinger]

Great question - I had fun researching this one 'cause I didn't know and was interested myself!

Skiddaddle is, according to the OED, a variant of Skedaddle. They reckon this colloquial term is probably of "fanciful formation" (which itself is a term I rather like!) They also say that it was probably originally invented by troops as part of American military slang (meaning, "To retreat or retire hastily or precipitately; to flee" during the Civil War of 1861 - 1865.

Webster's said in 1864, "Said to be of Swedish and Danish origin, and to have been in common use for several years throughout the Northwest, in the vicinity of immigrants from those nations�; but there are no forms in [Swedish] or [Danish] sufficiently near to be seriously taken into account. There is some slight evidence of the currency of the word in English and Scottish dialect use before it became prominent in America, but it is doubtful how far this is of importance for its origin."

I found a good article on the word here.

[jno]

Dictionary of Contemporary Slang also suggests an origin in the US civil war, and says it's probably a variation on scuttle or scatter.