In Chapter 1, Scout and Jem are playing in their backyard when they hear something coming from Miss Rachel Haverford's collard patch. They walk over to the fence expecting to find a puppy, and instead discover a small boy sitting down, staring directly at them. The boy introduces himself as Charles Baker Harris and mentions that he can read. When Jem asks Dill how old he is, Jem is surprised to learn that Dill is seven years old. Jem initially thought Dill was four-and-a-half because he was so small. Dill says he is from Meridian, Mississippi and is staying with his aunt, Miss Rachel Haverford, for the summer. After Dill tells Jem that he's seen the movie Dracula, Jem begins to respect him. Jem and Scout quickly become close friends with Dill, and the three children play together every day during the summer.
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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