bye-bye(s), n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

bye-bye(s) n.

also by-by, by-bye

[earlier nursery use bye-bye, sleep]

1. sleep, unconsciousness.

1853		‘Cuthbert Bede’ Adventures of Mr Verdant Green (1982) I 81: Well, Gig-lamps, and By-by won’t be at all a bad move for you.
1897		Boy’s Own Paper 13 Nov. 105: We’ll put you to ‘by-bye’ under the hood; so you won’t lose your beauty sleep.
1901		Bulletin (Sydney) 13 Jul. 14/1: I’ve just put the bullocks to by-by / In the bend at the back of the dam, / And now at the camp-fire I lie by / And smoke while I listen to Sam.
1913–14		Van Loan ‘No Business’ in Taking the Count 149: A right hook on the jaw sent him bye-bye.
1920		Marvel 10 Apr. 3: Nita put Tommy to by-by, and tell him heap pretty stories.
1947		D. Davin For the Rest of Our Lives 352: ‘Time for byebyes,’ the Sister whispered in Tony’s ear.
1976		(con. 1944) J. Braine Waiting for Sheila (1977) 53: Come on, lad. Beddy bye-byes then. Sleep it off.
1993		(con. 1945) S. McAughtry Touch and Go 194: Land one on the whiskers and have the bastard halfway to bye byes before swinging with the number three iron.
2000		S. Maloney Big Ask 41: One more drink, I decided, then bye-byes for Murray boy.

2. a pain killer.

1943

R. Llewellyn None But the Lonely Heart 326: They’ll look after her, there, son. Give her a little drop of bye bye now and again to knock the bleeding nails out.

In phrases

go (to) bye-bye(s) (v.)

1. (also go byby) to go to sleep.

1864		Derby Day 45: The jockey’s gone to bye-bye.
1910		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘Bedrooms’ Sporting Times 15 Oct. 2/3: What I want when I go to ‘bye-bye’ / Is my own rabbit-’utch up near the roof.
1925		Dos Passos Manhattan Transfer 212: I’m going to lie down and go byby.
1930		M. Allingham Mystery Mile (1982) 336: ‘Not now, old boy,’ he said wearily. ‘Go to bye-byes.’.
1937		R. Westerby Wide Boys Never Work (1938) 54: Then perhaps you’d better go back to bye-byes.
1943		R.L. Bellem ‘Feature Snatch!’ Dan Turner - Hollywood Detective Feb. 🌐 She [...] teed off on my noggin before I had a chance to duck. She scored par. I went bye-bye.
1955		J.P. Donleavy Ginger Man (1958) 204: I think I’m going to go bye-bye.
1959		I. & P. Opie Lore and Lang. of Schoolchildren (1977) 111: She kicked her cork leg in the corner / And hung her wig on the wall, / The rest of her went to bye-byes, / After the ball.
1965		E. Bombeck At Wit’s End (1979) 156: We went bye-bye in the car.
1989		(con. 1950s–60s) in G. Tremlett Little Legs 10: I want to go bye-byes.

2. to disappear, to vanish.

1940

E.F. Frazier Negro Youth 140: ‘Trouble is, he takes a big risk because usually he’s found out in the end—and the job goes bye-bye!’.

3. to leave.

2006

G. Pelecanos Night Gardener 217: Jamal left out the place [...] About an hour later Dominique and Darcia went bye-bye as well.

put someone to bye-bye (v.)

(UK Und.) to knock unconscious; to kill.

1919		Eve. Teleg. (Dundee) 10 June 8/3: Some dusky Dago handed him a good ’un [...] an’ put him to bye-bye.
1935		G. Ingram Cockney Cavalcade 216: Why, if you hadn’t come along as you did they’d-a put me to bye-bye.