In W.W. Jacobs short story "The Monkey's Paw" Mr. White is quite intrigued by the talisman and the idea it can grant wishes. In fact, he introduces the topic into the discussion when Sergeant Major Morris visits the White family. Morris had mentioned the paw in an earlier conversation and Mr. White brings it up again in the presence of his wife and son, Herbert. Despite the ominous stories about the paw, including that one man who had the paw wished for death, Mr. White purchases it from Morris. At first Mr. White is unsure what to wish for but after some light hearted banter with his son Herbert and at Herbert's suggestion, he wishes for two hundred pounds, the exact amount it would take to pay off the mortgage on his house. When the paw unexpectedly moves in Mr. White's hand and Herbert sees grotesque faces in the fire, it is not surprising that Mr. White's last two wishes will be for Herbert to first live again, and then to be dead again.
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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