I’ve been working on a research project which involves calling businesses (electrical wholesalers) in the UK to elicit feedback on one of their suppliers.

I usually begin a call with pleasantries.  (They all want to know what part of the States I am calling from.  Thankfully, these days, Chicago is more well-known for the Magnificent Mile, a high-end shopping district, than for Al Capone.)

The call usually ends with me thanking them for their time and making a light-hearted warning that if the notes I took of our conversation seem incomplete when I write my report, I might send them an email to ask a clarifying question.

And — before we both drop the connection. — the store manager I’ve been talking to will say, Cheers.

I understand that 10:00 in the morning, when I’m at my desk, is 4:00 in the afternoon there, and may not be too early to be toasting the beginning of happy hour, but I get it that Cheers is not being said as a precursor to clinking glasses with a friend.

I also recognize that there are other words, used in different parts of the world, that function as sort of magic words, words with multiple meanings depending on the time and context surrounding when they’re being used.

Shalom (or salam), literally translates as PEACE, and might be used for a greeting or a good-bye in the Middle East.  Aloha is used the same way in Hawaiian traditions.

Namaste, uttered in combination with joining the palms of your hands together in front of your heart, is not only exchanged between students and instructor at your typical yoga class any more.

Namaste and namaskar, loosely translates to “salutations,” and is loaded with larger significance.

Often interpreted as “the divinity in me bows to the divinity in you,” exchanging this greeting demonstrates respect, acknowledgement of being equal with the other within creation. There’s also the implication of grace and gratitude.

People that that use this phrase are grateful for the circumstances that brought them together with the person they’re acknowledging in the moment.

And Ciao…

I had a friend who used to end her answering machine greeting  (remember the days of answering machines?) with “Ciao. Bella, bella.” Good-bye, beautiful.

Using some form of ciao started in medieval Venice.  It literally translated into something like, “I am your slave” or “I am your servant.”  It expanded in meaning to convey, “at your service,” then further widened to be used as a greeting or good-bye.

Use of the phrase also spread in terms of geography.  From Italy, to most of Europe, to South America,  it’s become a sort of cosmopolitan greeting.  Like saying shalom, it’s come to be used as a way to greet or part company with a familiar.

So, this brings me back to saying Cheers to close a conversation.

I appreciated my curiosity on the subject of the origins of the expression, even though I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t come up with a definitive answer from my Google research.

Some sources indicated the term probably came from its common use as a toast.  Cheers came to imply “To your health,” or was used to announce a mood of celebration.  I also read that, about 50 years ago, the expression, Cheerio was used as a farewell.

Maybe “Cheers” derived from “Cheerio,” I wondered.  Seemed reasonable, but I couldn’t confirm this.

In an old article from The Telegraph,  I read that Britons were abandoning use of Thank you in favor of Cheers. In a list of the top 20 ways to express gratitude, Cheers came in first.  Thank you came in a 20th; after the likes of brilliant, much appreciated, lovely, and wicked.

So, I had to wonder if the people from the UK that I spoke to on the phone were saying Thanks or good-bye before hanging up.

It made sense to me somehow that the same phrase might be used for hello and good-bye, but using the same word for good-bye and thanks…

After some contemplation, I started liking this idea; that in one thought you would end an exchange with someone AND thank them for their presence in your life.

Saying thanks as you say good-bye is no small thing.