Goodbye and get going

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chipulukusu

Senior Member
Commuting Verona, Italy-NW England
Italian
Hello, this is just a petty curiosity.

An Italian journalist for a popular Italian radio ends all his reports from New York City greeting the listeners with a "Good Bye and get going!".

Though perfectly understandable as a greeting, I am a bit confused because I never heard this greeting from any native speaker of any variety of English...

I am puzzled, because this same journalist has been living in the USA since ages ago and must be perfectly fluent in English.

I don't know if this is a common greeting and my confusion is due to my extremely poor social life; or is this maybe an old style greeting, now not in use any more?

Thank you. :)
 
    • sound shift

    sound shift

    Senior Member
    Derby (central England)
    English - England
    Never heard it before - but that makes it stick in the mind, and that may be this journalist's intention. Or it may be a joke, a way of saying "I've been in the USA for ages and I still can't handle the language". Or it could be something else entirely. Don't know.
     
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    chipulukusu

    Senior Member
    Commuting Verona, Italy-NW England
    Italian
    Thank you Sound, I am happy that it is not only me to find it unusual. The journalist is a very serious and thoughtful man in his middle age, but the greeting is actually uttered with a particulary light and lively tone. That was really helpful, thank you! :)
     
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    Parla

    Member Emeritus
    New York City
    English - US
    Is his broadcast early in the morning? If so, his "Get going!" may be his way of saying "Now that you've heard my report, get up and go about your business of the day!"
     
    MuttQuad

    MuttQuad

    Senior Member
    New York, NY
    English - AmE
    It's a made-up sign off intended to be distinctive, which may or may not mean something actual. One of the most famous radio pairs in the US, Bob Eliot and Ray Goulding, signed off their program for decades by saying "Write if you get work" and "Hang by your thumbs."

    When I did some radio work back in college days I used to end my ten o'clock news with "Goodnight, Charlie," which was sort of a double entendre as a play on the common phrase "Princeton Charlie" and the fact that I knew one particular student named Charlie was a regular listener.

    On TV, years ago, Jimmy Durante always signed off his program by saying, "Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash wherever you are," and I don't think that phrase was ever explained.


    Most of the radio broadcasters nowadays don't try to be so amusing/creative with a sign-off.
     
    MuttQuad

    MuttQuad

    Senior Member
    New York, NY
    English - AmE
    An old US expression for a guy who was a student at Princeton, usually a bit of a partier. Now obsolete, especially as the university has become coed.
     
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    chipulukusu

    Senior Member
    Commuting Verona, Italy-NW England
    Italian
    @Parla, you are right, the live edition of the report is at 6.45 in the morning, so your idea is very plausible. I did not think at it, because I usually listen to the report when it is rebroadcasted late at night.

    @MuttQuad I think you are right about the sign-off, as he has been saying this as a greeting for I don't now how many years. Besides very few anchormen greets italian listeners in English, so even a "Thank you for listening and good morning" could have been distinctive enough... :)

    Thanks to all of you. :)
     
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    Mario@A24

    New Member
    Italian italy
    So Sorry I am responding only now. I only saw the message now, but thank you, thank you for the lively debate about my sign off. I have decided to use Goddbye and Get Going! For a simple reason: the first, Goodbye, il self explanatory....The Get Going wishes to deliver a message of encouragement, of possibility as to say do not give up. Itly has been through tough time and it is easy to give in. In America the posture is very much different, even in face of calamity peole try to react and to keep going strong or anyway to react. Get going is pretty much in use in the English language as if to say, <----->. I hope my explanation will make more acceptable!! Mario


    < Italian removed. This is the English Only forum. Cagey, moderator >
     
    Last edited by a moderator:
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    chipulukusu

    Senior Member
    Commuting Verona, Italy-NW England
    Italian
    Mario@A24 said:
    So Sorry I am responding only now. I only saw the message now, but thank you, thank you for the lively debate about my sign off. I have decided to use Goddbye and Get Going! For a simple reason: the first, Goodbye, il self explanatory....The Get Going wishes to deliver a message of encouragement, of possibility as to say do not give up. Itly has been through tough time and it is easy to give in. In America the posture is very much different, even in face of calamity peole try to react and to keep going strong or anyway to react. Get going is pretty much in use in the English language as if to say, <----->. I hope my explanation will make more acceptable!! Mario


    < Italian removed. This is the English Only forum. Cagey, moderator >
    Click to expand...
    I really thank you a lot! :) I am humbled that you took the time to answer to my question and I could never imagine that you could become a member of this forum! Greetings from one of your listeners :)
     
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