cheerio

Interjection

1. (Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, informal) Goodbye, an interjection said upon parting.
   • "In that case," said Archie, relieved, "cheerio, good luck, pip-pip, toodle-oo, and good-bye-ee! I'll be shifting!"1921, P. G. Wodehouse, Indiscretions of Archie, ch. XIII. Rallying Round Percy
   • But we all knew it wasn't the final end of the HST. This wasn't "goodbye", more like a "cheerio, see you someplace soon".2019 October 23, Pip Dunn, “The next king of Scotland”, in Rail, page 50
2. (rare) Hello; a greeting.
   • Cheerio, everybody! What a delightful gathering of charming femininity!1947, Anita Bell, He Done Her Wrong

Noun (1)

cheerio (plural cheerios)

1. (New Zealand) A small saveloy often consumed with tomato sauce at parties.
   • The man who has gone around the cocktail circuit pounding cheerios to the end of time did not come in here and open his mouth once on the Bill.1978, New Zealand. Parliament. House of Representatives, Parliamentary Debates, page 4230

   Synonyms:

   cocktail sausage, little boy

Noun (2) capitalized: Cheerio

Cheerio (plural Cheerios)

1. An individual piece of the Cheerios breakfast cereal.
   • A single Cheerio fell off my spoon.1996, Macworld: The Macintosh Magazine, volume 13, numbers 5-8, page 32