Talk:cheerio

Latest comment: 5 years ago by SemperBlotto

Shouldn't this word be listed as dated in Britain? It is rarely used nowadays and is considered quite quirky and somewhat humourous... 82.132.221.163 15:05, 9 January 2019 (UTC)Reply

Doesn't cheerio come from the scottish gaelic word for bye? As does cheers as well I think. — This comment was unsigned.

The sources I checked don't trace the origins before WWI or to another language. Where did you get your idea about this? DCDuring TALK 23:45, 8 December 2008 (UTC)Reply


One of the Gaelic ways of saying goodbye is indeed tìoraidh (pronounced a little like "cheery"). I can't find it in Dwelly's dictionary, which was published in 1911. I'll see if I can get a look at a newer etymological dictionary. - Donnchadh mac Alasdair.

Where does cheerio get used as hello rather than goodbye?

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