In the beginning of the novel, Scrooge lives by himself, cuts himself off from other people, rebuffs overtures from his nephew to visit for Christmas, and cares only about money. He is hardhearted and resents being asked to help the poor. He even resents giving his clerk a half day off for Christmas. After the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future show him glimpses of his forgotten past happinesses, the current state of the people around him, and his own future, in which no one mourns his death, Scrooge's heart melts and his emotions reawaken. When the night ends and he realizes he is still alive and can make amends to the world, Scrooge is overjoyed and transforms into a giving, loving person.
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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