ta ta for now
1
9.5
- idiom
- UK
- She waved and called out, 'ta ta for now,' as she left the room.
Examples
-
I'll see you later, ta ta for now!
-
It's been great chatting with you—ta ta for now.
-
I have to get back to work, so ta ta for now!
-
It's time for me to say ta ta for now!
-
I have to get back to work, so ta ta for now!
-
It's been great chatting with you—ta ta for now.
-
She waved and called out, 'ta ta for now,' as she left the room.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A short word or action people use when they leave each other
747
1.0
Words people say when they leave each other
397
1.1
A friendly informal way to say goodbye when leaving
390
1.0
A casual goodbye said when leaving someone and expecting to meet again
222
8.4
A friendly way to say goodbye when you expect to meet again
194
1.9
A speech or action that says goodbye and wishes someone well
20
8.7
A casual way to say goodbye to someone
10
7.9
A casual way to say goodbye until you meet again
1
8.6
A casual way to say goodbye to someone
1
6.3
A casual word for goodbye used when leaving someone
How Final
194
1.9
747
1.0
- UK
20
8.7
- Informal
390
1.0
- UK
1
9.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'ta ta for now' is an idiomatic, colloquial farewell whose meaning ('goodbye for the time being') cannot be compositionally derived from its parts: 'ta' is an informal interjection (often 'thanks' or a casual bye) and the reduplication plus 'for now' creates a conventionalized goodbye. Knowing the literal meanings of 'for' and 'now' (and unclear dictionary entries for 'ta') would not allow a B1 learner to predict this specific pragmatic use, so it is not transparent.
Etymology
Ta ta for now comes from a child's way of saying ta ta, a short, happy 'bye' used in Britain. Adding for now says the goodbye is only for a short time, so the phrase means 'goodbye' with the idea of 'see you soon'.