The Archive

Etymology Journal ยท R

Ready to skedaddle?

Meaning

Asking if someone is prepared to depart or leave a location quickly. It is a slightly whimsical way to signal that it is time to head home.

Playful, casual

Used in a sentence

  • It is getting late so are you ready to skedaddle?
  • We should probably skedaddle before the traffic gets bad.
  • Once the fireworks ended, everyone was ready to skedaddle.

The backstory

The word skedaddle emerged during the American Civil War to describe a hasty retreat. It likely came from regional dialects but its exact roots remain a fun mystery.

Heard in

Nationwide

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