Toodaloo

[123everton]

Where does the saying Toodaloo originate?

[said_khan]

Toodle-oo is the more usual spelling with the variant toodle-pip, both of which are now rarely used; I always understood it to derive from the French � tout � l'heure which means (see you) in a while.

[Quizmonster]

The Oxford English Dictionary claims the origin of �toodle-oo' is uncertain, though some people believe it may have come from the French phrase �� tout � l'heure', meaning more or less, �see you soon', as Said_khan wrote above. Certainly, it sounds very similar, but there is no certainty that that is the source. It first made an appearance in English in the early 20th century.
At first sight, 'toodle-pip' - which is obviously a variant of �toodle-oo' - seems the sort of word that P G Wodehouse's character, Bertie Wooster, for example, might have been using back in the 1920s. However, there is no written record of it anywhere prior to the late 1970s. 'Tootle-pip' appeared in 1977 and 'toodle-pip' not until 1983. The latter was part of a headline in the Standard, so that may very well be where the word - in that form - originated.

[dr john]

I suspect it's just a nonsense phrase, with no real meaning or logical origin. P G Wodehouse occasionally had Wooster and the Drones saying "Tinkerty-tonk" to mean goodbye, and I recently heard an Australian cricket commentator say that Shane Warne would want to say "Hoo-roo" to his fans (on his retirement from Test cricket).

[jno]

I've no idea where ooroo came from, but it's not just a nonsense phrase used by Shane Warne, it's a reasonably common Australian farewell.

[spudmuffa]

Difficult one this. It actually comes from Liverpool when many slum houses had their toilets in the back-yard and not inside the house.
Not to make it obvious to visiting guests and priests etc... you said " to the loo". This was the code-word that you were going to relieve yourself in the back-yard toilet.
Over many years, it was abbreviated to Toodaloo, it saved time,especially if you had the galloping habdabs. Hope this helps.

[jno]

well, you couldn't make it much more obvious to people than saying 'I'm going to the loo', could you?

[playmisty]

a house with an outside lavatory would not necessarily be considered to be a slum at that time

[Count_Emmup]

I can't imagine where that Liverpool fairy-tale originates, I know I don't believe a word of it.

Show us your sources, Spud.

[123everton]

I'd go for a nice onion gravy, us northern boys love gravy.

[Kaienana]

French was learned as a second language by the upper crust and was used quite a lot in society during the "Genteel" epoch.
As in all levels of society, slang happens.
A toute a'heure is one that went through Toodaloo, to Toodle-pip Meaning See you later (in French, normally the same day. It can also mean that an event will happen in a short while.)
Toute a'heure means the opposite, an event has already happened. A plus (from A plus tard, and meaning see you later as well,) is used when one isn't sure when the next meeting will be.

[Etymologer]

The most likely answer is a tout a l'heure (sorry no accents).. The French is commonly abbreviated to "tout a l'heure" which strengthens the similarlity.
Catch ya later.