What French phrase is the origin of "gardyloo?"
The word gardyloo is a warning cry uttered before throwing wastewater (literally and euphemistically) out of a window. Every source I've found has traced this word back to some French phrase translating as "watch out for the water." However, the specific French phrase seems to vary. I've seen the following:
- Wiktionary: "Garde à l'eau"
- The Free Dictionary: "Gare à l'eau"
- oxforddictionaries.com: "Regardez l'eau"
- unusuedwords.com: "Garde de l'eau" or "Gardez l'eau"
I'm not a French speaker, but from what I remember, I would expect that the imperative "look out" or "watch for" would be given using the "-ez" ending (second person plural / formal) versus the "e" ending (second person singular / informal), so I suspect that it's probably "Gardez" or "Regardez." However, I don't know enough French to know whether "Gardez l'eau" or "Garde à l'eau" would be grammatically or semantically correct.
What French phrase actually gives rise to "gardyloo?" If it's not entirely clear, could someone at least enlighten me as to which of the above phrases would be grammatically and semantically correct?
Thanks!
The answer to your question is "Gare à l'eau!" or less commonly nowadays "Gare l'eau!" [=look out for the water!].
Actually I have never heard anyone say "gare quelque chose." The typical phrasing is "gare à quelque chose" [look out/watch out for something] in modern day French.
E.g.
"Gare à la voiture!" or even more commonly "Attention à la voiture!" [Watch out for the car!]"
That said, "Gare la voiture!" is grammatically correct and standard French, but is more likely to be found in literary works.
Besides, interjective "gare à" when addressed to someone is an invective exclamation. E.g. Gare a toi! [Watch out!]; Gare à ce que tu dis! [Mind/watch what you're saying!].
In conclusion, Farlex Trivia Dictionary knows best.
Wiktionary "Garde à l'eau (or more commonly dans l'eau) lit. "guard in the water," the typical French expression being "homme à la mer," lit. "man in the sea" [man overboard]) = Guard overboard, but "Garde! A l'eau!" = Guard! (Get yourself) into the water! Plus, "Garde! A l'eau!" can also be understood as "Guard! Come get your water/Water's served," the typical French expression being "A la soupe!" [Soup's ready/served!].
The Free Dictionary "Gare de l'eau" = The Water Station, but "Gare! De l'eau!" = Watch out! Water's coming!
oxforddictionaries "Regarde l'eau" = Look at the water!
unusuedwords.com "Garde de l'eau" = Spare some water (=don't use it all), or "Garde l'eau" = (You can) keep the water.
NB: In everyday speech, if you say to a French person "Gare la voiture" in a monotonous tone, chances are it'll be understood as "park the car," as long as there's also a verb, "garer" [to park], which is declined into "gare" in the present simple, the present subjunctive, and the imperative.
Edit: What actually is quoted in the Free Dictionary is not "gare à l'eau" [look out for the water], but "gare de l'eau," which still makes lots of sense in French provided the appropriate punctuation is added: "Gare de l'eau" [=The Water Station], but "Gare! De l'eau!" [Watch out/look out! Water's coming!]. Hence the most logic English transcription "Gardyloo!".
The OED says: apparently < a pseudo-French phrase gare de l'eau ‘beware of the water’; in correct French it would be gare l'eau.
You can see examples of the older use of "Gare" rather than "Gare à" as an interjection in Littré's dictionary, a classical French dictionary that dates back to the mid-nineteenth century and remains a reference. Here is a link to this page:
http://www.littre.org/definition/gare