"Cheers": an informal greeting?

[Fan of Arabian horses]

Hi!

Hope you excuse this stupid question! Listening to BFBS, today, I heard this expression and was able to understand "Cheers" in the sense of "Hello" or "Good bye" only.

Would like if anybody can clarify that to me.

Thanks in advance

Michael

[Yankee]

Hi Michael

I've heard that the Brits use "Cheers" to mean both hello and goodbye, but we'd better wait for someone from the UK to confirm (or deny ) that.

In the US, "Cheers" is probably thought of primarily as the name of a TV sitcom from the 80s and 90s and a famous pub in Boston. And "Cheers" may also still be used as a toast sometimes.

http://www.cheersboston.com/

Amy
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Torsten]

Hi used to communicate with a US journalist and author who would often write "cheers" instead of "thanks" or "bye" as the closing line in his emails.
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[bara]

Hi all,
By one glance on Cambridge dictionary I found that:
Cheers:

1 a friendly expression said just before you drink an alcoholic drink:
Cheers! Your good health.

2 UK INFORMAL used to mean 'thank you':
"I've bought you a drink." "Cheers, mate."

3 UK INFORMAL used to mean 'goodbye':
"Bye." "Cheers, see you next week."

I hope it helps all of us and thank you Michael for this question.

Old and New Guy
Baraa
_________________
bara

[Tamara]

Hi

[Alan]

Hi,

'Cheers' has become one of the most frequently used words in the UK as Tamara avers. To my generation of grumpy old men it sounds really odd because I was brought up to use 'cheers' as a salutation when you raised your glass to drink in company with others. Now it's just another word for saying all the things that Bara has listed. The really weird thing is that I heard myself using it for the first time ever to thank someone. I felt quite strange.

Cheers

A
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Saying It Twice

[Torsten]

This reminds me that in December 2003 Alan wrote an excellent piece on "Cheers" and other greetings in English which you can read here: Well, hello!
http://www.english-test.net/newsletter/well-hello-96.html
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Fan of Arabian horses]

Hi all and a kind cheers!

Thanks for all your replies.

Well, I see, there are lots of situations when "cheers" can be used. I also have read Alan?s short story and after having done that I think every language has such words. Like us German sometimes use "tschau" or in the Netherlands you often can hear "ha-y?" at several occassions.

Michael

[prezbucky]

To Brits, is "cheers" just a shortened form of "cheerio" or "cheerie oh" (however it's spelled/phrased)?

Amy nailed the US use of "cheers"
_________________
Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Pamela]

Cheerio is a colloquial word used as farewell.
Cheerio, old friends!

[prezbucky]

Danke
_________________
Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.