In Chapter 10, Bruno walks for almost an hour along the fence at Auschwitz and is just about to turn back and head home, when he sees a small dot appear in the distance. Initially, Bruno thinks that he may be looking at a mirage, but as he gradually walks closer, it is revealed that Bruno is actually staring at a young boy. Bruno had read enough books to realize that explorers could never be sure what they were going to find. He believes that there are essentially two categories of discovery. The first category belongs to things that explorers find interesting and are "waiting to be discovered," like the Americas. The second category belongs to things that explorers discover that are better left alone, like dead mice in the back of a cupboard. Bruno immediately puts the boy into the first category because the boy is simply sitting there, waiting to be discovered. Bruno politely introduces himself to the boy, and they have a pleasant conversation.
Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
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