loo
A cry to urge on hunting dogs.
Interjection
- A cry to urge on hunting dogs.
- Edg. Pilicock sate on pelicocks hill, a lo lo lo. - c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...
Origin
Clipped form of halloo.
Forms
Derived
Noun alt of, alternative
- Alternative form of lanterloo: the card game.
- And my Intreagues ſo baſhfully diſown / That they may doubted be by few or none, / May kiſs the Cards at Picque, Hombre,—Lu, / And ſo be taught to kiſs the Lady too; [...] - 1675, [William] Wycherley, The Country-wife,...
- Ev'n mighty Pam that Kings and Queens o'erthrew, And mow'd down Armies in the Fights of Lu. - 1712 May, [Alexander Pope], “The Rape of the Locke. An Heroi-comical Poem.”, in Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. […],...
- Yet, ladies are seldom at ombre or lue sick. - 1731, Jonathan Swift, To Dr. Helsham, 16
- The penalty paid to the pool in lanterloo for breaking certain rules or failing to take a trick.
- An act that prompts such a penalty.
- A game of lanterloo.
- Any group of people.
Origin
Clipped form of lanterloo.
Forms
Derived
for the good of the loo Irish loo limited loo loo club loo table loo-table unlimited loo
Noun Commonwealth, Ireland
- A lavatory: a room used for urination and defecation.
- I suppose it is unreal because we have been expecting it [sc. World War II] for so long now, and have known that it must be got over before we can go on with our lives. Like in the night when you want to go to the loo...
- Ensure that the tents are well-sited and clean, rubbish bins empty, and that the loos have toilet paper. - 2006, Garth Thompson et al., The Guide′s Guide to Guiding, 3rd edition, page 160:
- A toilet: a fixture used for urination and defecation.
- The lack of running water in rural areas often makes Western-style loos hygienic disasters. Suddenly the noncontact squat toilet doesn′t look like such a bad option any more (as long as you roll up your trouser legs). -...
- Waterless urinals are a great way of keeping the guys out of the cubicle toilets, keeping the urine separated from the solid waste (when using composting loos) and reducing water consumption if you have flush loos. -...
Origin
Uncertain, although usually derived in some way from Waterloo, the site of Wellington's 1815 victory over Napoleon, likely via a pun based on water closet. Other suggested derivations include corruptions of French l'eau (“water”), lieu (“place”), lieux d'aisances (“'places of convenience': a lavatory”), lieu à l'anglaise (“'English place': a British-style lavatory”), bordalou (“a diminutive chamber pot”) or gardez l'eau (“'mind the water'”), via Scots gardyloo, formerly used in Edinburgh while emptying chamber pots out of windows; the supposed use of "Room 100" as the lavatory in Continental hotels; a popularisation of lew, a regional corruption of lee (“downwind”), in reference to shepherds' privies or the former use of beakheads on that side of the ship for urination and defecation; or a clipped form of the name of the unpopular 19th-century Countess of Lichfield Lady Harriett...
Forms
Synonyms
Derived
Noun fashion, lifestyle
- A half-mask, particularly (historical) those velvet half-masks fashionable in the 17th century as a means of protecting women's complexion from the sun.
- Loo Mask. An half Mask. - a. 1685, Mary Evelyn, “The Fop-dictionary”, in Mundus Muliebris, page 18:
Origin
From French loup (“wolf; mask, eyemask”). Doublet of lobo, lupus, and wolf.
Forms
Related
Derived
Noun India
- A hot dust-bearing wind found in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and the Punjab.
- It was a pitchy black night, as stifling as a June night can be, and the loo, the red-hot wind from the westward, was booming among the tinder-dry trees and pretending that the rain was on its heels. - 1888, Rudyard...
Origin
From Hindi लू (lū), ultmately from Sanskrit उल्का (ulkā, “flame”).
Noun government, military
- A lieutenant.
- I asked my loo to let me escort you in. I wanted a moment to thank you personally.” “There's no need.” “So you said before, but there is. And was. I'll take you in to Lieutenant Ricchio.” - 2012, J. D. Robb, New York to...
Origin
Clipped form of lieutenant.
Forms
Related
Verb Entry 7
- To beat in the card game lanterloo.
- He was seldom indeed without two good trumps, and therefore almost invariably loo'd those who stood. - 1847, Henry Cockton, The Love Match, page 232:
- To pay a penalty to the pool for breaking certain rules or failing to take a trick in lanterloo.
- To pay any penalty to any community.
Forms
Verb dialectal
- To urge on with cries of loo or (figuratively) by other shouting or outcry.
- And therefore next uncouple either Hound [sc. George Monck and Prince Rupert], And loo them at two Hares ere one be found. - 1667, John Denham, Directions to a Painter, ll. 21 f: