Etymology

gardyloo

gard·y·loo
G2A1R1D2Y4L1O1O1

Today it means: A cry used to warn passersby that a vessel of wastewater is about to be emptied into the street. Full definition →

French (prenez) garde à l'eau
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The story

  1. French · derived from(prenez) garde à l'eau“take heed of the water”
  2. English todaygardyloo

From French (prenez) garde à l'eau (“take heed of the water”). First attested in 1662, in the burgh records of Edinburgh.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.