what the doctor ordered
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]A reference to a doctor prescribing treatment to alleviate a patient’s illness, or a course of action (exercise, a healthy diet, relaxation, etc.) that will be beneficial to the patient’s health.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌʍɒt ðə ˈdɒktə ˌɔːdəd/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˌʍɑt ðə ˈdɑktɚ ˌɔɹdɚd/, [ˌwɑt-]
Audio (General Australian); “just what the doctor ordered”: (file) - Hyphenation: what the doc‧tor or‧dered
Noun
[edit]what the doctor ordered (uncountable)
- (idiomatic) Exactly what is necessary or useful in a given situation; something very beneficial or desirable.
Alternative forms
[edit]Translations
[edit]exactly what is necessary or useful in a given situation
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See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- “what the doctor ordered” under “doctor, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2020.
- “be just what the doctor ordered, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.