chitty chitty bang bang

[stafford]

what is the origin of this phrase

[beale]

It's the sound the car of the same name made in the film.

[stafford]

nothing to do with R&R passes during the war and places of ill repute then.......?

[beale]

No it's the car.

[tartanwiz]

The magical flying car in the book by Ian Fleming, made into a film (1968)and more recently a stage musical (2002). The car was named Chitty Chitty Bang Bang after the sound it made.

[Tiamaria]

I watched a programme about it not too long ago and it's definately about r& r passes during the war. The chitty would get them over to France for the bang bang.

[trilobite]

The phrase came from the Second World War. When British / Allied troops were granted a couple of days' leave, they were issued with a leave pass in the form of a receipt or 'chit' - hence 'chitty'.
What the soldiers then did with this short leave was up to them, but visiting local bars and brothels (especially when in Paris) was a popular option. Hence Chitty-Chitty, Bang-Bang !
Ian Fleming stated in his book that it was the sound the car made. I should imagine that it was highly likely he knew exactly the phrase's origin, and probably found its inclusion in a children's book rather amusing.