Meaning
In good order, satisfactory or progressing well. Informal and cheerful. Hyphenation and spelling vary considerably. Regional use: British and Commonwealth English.
Origin
The expression is documented in British forces slang by 1939, but its formation is unresolved. A derivation from Hindustani thik hai, babu, roughly all right, sir, has often been proposed, as has influence from that's the ticket or peekaboo. The surviving evidence does not establish any one explanation.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- Ticketty-boo
- Tickety boo
- Ticketyboo
- Tiggerty-boo
Usage Examples
- Once the replacement valve arrived, everything was tickety-boo.
- The inspector checked the figures and declared them tickety-boo.