gardyloo

American  

[gahr-dee-loo] / ˌgɑr diˈlu /

interjection

1. (a cry formerly used in Scotland to warn pedestrians when slops were about to be thrown from an upstairs window.)

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Etymology

Origin of gardyloo

1760–70; Anglicized form of French gare ( de ) l'eau beware of the water

Example Sentences

Mothers stand at doors and yell gardyloo when they empty their slop buckets.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

French allies brought some words into Scotland that have rooted themselves, like the Edinburgh gardyloo.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 04, No. 25, November, 1859 by Various