Gardyloo!

[anathema]

I know Effralyo has been calling Beaurgegard Gardy, and I thought it was a cute nickname.
However, today in British Studies I was informed that people in the eighteenth century commonly used the cry "Gardyloo!"
Why?
It was a warning to people in the street as they emptied their chamber pots or dirty water out of the window.


Gardyloo!

It's a slight corruption of the French garde a l'eau - literally, "look out for the water". It wasn't used throughout the country either - it's mainly associated with Edinburgh.

If you were walking down the street and you heard this cry from above you, the correct response is to holler back "haud yer hands!" and bolt for the relative safety of the side of the road. From here you'd only get a light splashing as the, um, "water" came down. Of course, if you were a visitor to the city and not au fait with local custom, your natural reaction would be to look up to see where the noise was coming from...

There were no sewers at this time, and the waste water would run down the streets into the Nor' Loch at the foot of the Castle Rock. This was also the city's drinking water supply. The pong was considerable, and Edinburgh is affectionately known to this day as "Auld Reekie"...

 

[Vibs]

(Still laughing - oh my poor stomach!)

 

[RedDragon]

It was also custom for men to walk nearest to the buildings so if "Gardyloo" happened it got mostly on them and not the fair maiden they were with.

 

[Effralyo]

Gardeloooooooooooooo, and Beaudelodilooooooo!.... Because we adoooore yoooooou!!!!! For me it`s just a cute yodel for calling Beau. :stick out tongue: Umffff, Gardy, Gardy, Gardik, clumsee, the treasure of MC!