gardyloo
A cry of “gardyloo”.
historical
What do the polished inhabitants of Carrubber's close care for all the taunts that can be uttered by the mouths of all the tobacco-chewing, bacon-eating bagmen who chatter no intelligible language of any country, about "gardy loos," and Caledonian cremonas?
An act of discarding waste or some other substance from a height. Also attributive and figurative.
Siobhan Clarke looked like she'd stepped under a gardyloo bucket. She tried not to show it, and smiled whenever she saw him looking in her direction, but there was definitely something up with her.
Caution, warning.
figuratively
Released but a few weeks before Gremlins, this film drew only foreshadowings of concern that spiraled up into hysterical gardyloos when Gremlins made its debut.
Where it comes from
From French (prenez) garde à l'eau (“take heed of the water”). First attested in 1662, in the burgh records of Edinburgh.
Adapted from the Wiktionary entry gardyloo (CC BY-SA 4.0).