ta ta
20
8.7
- idiom
- /tɑː tɑː/
- UK
- After our wonderful dinner, I said, 'It was great to see you! Ta ta!' and waved goodbye.
Examples
-
He always ends our conversations with a cheerful, 'Ta ta!' before hanging up.
-
As the train pulled away from the station, she shouted, 'Ta ta! I'll see you soon!'
-
I know how to...to deal with the system.
-
I just need some space, I think. - Okay, do you want me to...to go? - [Date]
-
The unfortunate part is they so rarely see it that it's very hard for students to...to visualise, because they've got to crack the code.
-
Uh...you know, I'm... trying to...to change, to not be doing these... the things that I used to do the way I did them and to try and... change into becomin' that person that I'm gonna...
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
653
1.0
Words or actions people use when they leave
434
3.0
A short phrase 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
50
7.2
A word people use to say goodbye
30
9.3
A final goodbye you say when leaving for a long time
14
8.9
A friendly way to say goodbye
14
9.9
A playful word people use to say goodbye
4
9.9
A friendly old-fashioned British way to say goodbye
1
9.5
A friendly informal way to say goodbye when you will see or speak to someone soon
1
8.6
A casual way to say goodbye to someone
1
8.2
A casual way to say goodbye at the end of the day
1
6.3
A casual word for goodbye used when leaving someone
1
9.9
A playful informal way people say goodbye as a joke
1
9.9
A cheerful informal way to say goodbye
Antonyms
How Final
194
1.9
747
1.0
- UK
20
8.7
- Informal
390
1.0
- UK
1
9.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
ta + ta
Ta ta is a conventionalized, dialectal farewell whose meaning ('goodbye') cannot be derived from the literal constituents 'ta' + 'ta' (the provided headword entries lack independent dictionary meanings). Even if a learner knows 'ta' as an informal 'thanks' in some varieties, simple reduplication does not transparently produce 'goodbye', so the expression is idiomatic and unpredictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
The expression ta ta may come from baby talk where the small word ta was said twice while a child waved. That picture of a child saying ta ta made it a friendly, informal way to say 'goodbye'.