‖totsiens, interjection

/ˈtɔtˈsins/
Forms:
Also tot siens.
Origin:
AfrikaansShow more Afrikaans, tot until + siens see(ing).
colloquial
a. An informal expression used on parting: ‘till we meet again’, ‘be seeing you’, ‘au revoir’.
1937 C.R. Prance Tante Rebella’s Saga 175Oom Koos thanked his visitor..bade him ‘tot siens’ and farewell.
1944 ‘Twede in Bevel’ Piet Kolonel 176Those who were going up to South West, I should be seeing in the train, so that Totsiens was easy to say.
1951 O. Walker Shapeless Flame 240Let me get out here...Let me feel Africa under my feet for the last few yards...Shall we say tot siens, in the vernacular?
1958 S. Cloete Mask 194The group of men waved and shouted, ‘Good luck and tot siens, Jong. We shall soon be with you’.
1963 A. Delius Day Natal Took Off 72This is, then, not good-bye, only totsiens.
1964 J. Meintjes Manor House 16He turned to me. ‘I’ll come and fetch you quite soon. Tot siens.’
1968 G. Croudace Black Rose 64‘Ja, kleinbaas, that’s what it is: Tot siens, tot siens.’ Farewell was so final: far better to say ‘Be seeing you’.
1974 G. Jenkins Bridge of Magpies 131‘So long.’ Captain Miki found two more English words. He seemed to know what they meant too. ‘Totsiens’ — which means no more than au revoir, I meant to be back.
1978 E. Prov. Herald 26 Jan. 8The ‘goodbye’..was really ‘totsiens’ for she is expected to visit EP Command regularly after her retirement.
1988 D. Hirson in Bunn & Taylor From S. Afr. 100Mevrou Duplessis in an orange polka-dot apron waves Totsiens to them from the front door.
1990 W. Smith Golden Fox 142‘I must go now, I have another function to attend.’ He turned back to Isabella. ‘Totsiens, Doctor Courtenay, until we meet again.’
b. figurative. ‘Goodbye (to something)’, signalling finality.
1972 Sunday Times 30 Apr. 1Earlier he said ‘totsiens’ with a straight right.
1972 Sunday Times 25 June (Mag. Sect.)Totsiens to a reputation.
1973 F. Chisholm in Cape Times 5 May 7The Wynberg interchange means totsiens, among many places, to the gracious old Cape homestead on the main road, La Plaisance.
1981 M. Van Biljon in Sunday Times 14 June 9Tennis is no longer the great social occasion older inhabitants remember. ‘It’s this TV,’ said one. ‘It means “totsiens vrinne” [friends].’
1985 Financial Mail 9 Aug. (Suppl.) 16Totsiens to the train. Not too long ago passenger trains reigned supreme.
1987 Daily Dispatch 14 Feb. 18It’s goodbye Graeme and totsiens Kim.
1992 P.-D. Uys in South 27 Feb. 24Goodbye to maths, biology, geography. Totsiens Shakespeare, Goethe, Shaw.
‘till we meet again’, ‘be seeing you’, ‘au revoir’.
‘Goodbye (to something)’, signalling finality.
Derivatives:
Hence (sense a) totsiens  noun, an utterance of this expression.
1988 Personality 6 June 62A smile on your face and a friendly ‘tot siens’.
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Senses

19371992

Derivatives

totsiens, n.
total strategy, noun phrasen. phr.tottie, nounn.
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