good riddance

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English

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Etymology

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Appears first in phrases like a great riddance or 'a fair riddance'. An earlier use than William Shakespeare's is in a letter dated 3 August 1597 from Lord Burgh to Sir Robert Cecil in the State Papers relating to Ireland, p.364- or in good riddance.[1]

A later use is from William Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, 2, i.[2]

Pronunciation

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Interjection

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good riddance

  1. (negative connotation) Used to indicate that a departure or loss is welcome.
    I couldn’t be more glad to see the back of them. Good riddance, I say.
    Goodbye and good riddance!
    • [1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, “Mr. Dombey and the World”, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, [], published 1848, →OCLC, page 510:
      [T]o tell you my mind, Lucretia, I think it's a good riddance. I don't want any of your brazen faces here, myself!]
    • 2020 August 4, Richard Conniff, “They May Look Goofy, but Ostriches are Nobody’s Fool”, in National Geographic[2]:
      After 50 years of farming, Fisch too has left the ostrich business, and says good riddance.

Coordinate terms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ Gary Martin (1997–) “Good riddance”, in The Phrase Finder, retrieved 26 February 2017.

Further reading

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