[Ads-l] Antedating of "toodle-oo" (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Peter Reitan]

The precursor to the expression, "Toodle, oodle, oo" was the onomatopoeia expression that was generally spelled, "tootle, tootle, too," which was used, at various times (from as early as the 1700s), as the sound a rooster makes, a bird song, happy singing sounds, the sound a flute player (or other instrument) makes, or the sound of a stagecoach horn.  Variants of "toodle loodle" and "toodle doodle" appear in song lyrics as early as the 1830s.

"Toodle loo" or "toodle oo", as the now-common expression made upon parting, came later.  It would be interesting to see whether the lyrics to the 1895 song adopt or inspired the new meaning.


> Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2016 14:56:30 +0000
> From: william.d.mullins18.civ at MAIL.MIL
> Subject: Re: Antedating of "toodle-oo" (UNCLASSIFIED)
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "MULLINS, WILLIAM D (Bill) CIV USARMY RDECOM AMRDEC (US)"
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> Subject:      Re: Antedating of "toodle-oo" (UNCLASSIFIED)
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