ado » adieu

Chiefly in:   without further adieu , much adieu

Classification: English

Spotted in the wild:

  • Without further adieu, here are the “Unsung Heroes,” nominated by their colleagues for going above and beyond the call of duty each and every day. (Suffolk University press release, Feb. 4, 2002)
  • And so, without further adieu, I present a senior drinking song, a toasting tune for all seniors making their way into the world outside Ann Arbor, bachelor’s degree firmly in hand. (Michigan Daily Online, Apr. 3, 1997)
  • The meeting was adjourned at 8:02, by President Barnes without much adieu. (Tulane GSSA Meeting Minutes, Nov. 5, 1998)
  • The inauguration is barely underway and already there is much adieu about George W. Bush’s next targets for democracy. (Useless-Knowledge.com, Jan. 19, 2005)

Analyzed or reported by:

This may be an eggcorn of long historical standing. See, for instance, this pun from the 1867 novel Tiger Lilies by Sidney Lanier:

“Friends, adieu, adieu!”


“Why, this,” quoth Briggs, “is surely much adieu
about nothing!”

| link | entered by Ben Zimmer, 2005/02/15 |

Commentaries

  1. 1

    Commentary by Arnold Zwicky , 2005/04/10 at 5:13 pm

    The reinterpretation is encouraged by the homophony of “ado” and (Anglicized) “adieu” in varieties that have lost the palatal glide [j] of [ju] after alveolar consonants — varieties in which “do”, the “doo” of “doo-doo”, “due”, and “dew” are all homophones.

  2. 2

    Commentary by Chris Waigl , 2005/08/21 at 10:46 pm

    A spirited defense of the “correctness” of without further adieu in certain contexts has been made by “lamar” in a comment on a LiveJournal:

    actually, they’re both correct… “Without further ado” just means without further introduction, or raving… to be used between praising someone that you’re about to introduce and the actual introduction. “Without further adieu” means (although it’s not really a common p[h]rase, it still makes sense) without further goodbyes… to be used when bidding an important farewell address. The funny thing is, they can be used in very similar situations.

    Examples:

    “Bill Clinton has lowered the illiteracy rate, maintained low unemployment, and put the nation’s budget into a $5 billion surplus, and without further ado, I give you — William Jefferson Clinton!”

    “I am sad to say that I will be leaving Enron as CEO. My heart has been with this company — and will continue to be with this company — for as long as I can remember. Without further adieu, I turn you over to your new CEO, John Doe(rk).”

    Truly an excellent eggcorn.

  3. 3

    Commentary by Doug Harris , 2006/05/16 at 3:39 am

    Though I’ve never actually heard it said, I’ve certainly heard many occasions when,
    after excessive, often imaginative praise about Whomever, an introducer _should_ have said, “and now, without further, ah, do do, I give you…”

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