Idiom
what the doctor ordered
Meaning
Exactly what is necessary or useful in a given situation; something very beneficial or desirable.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“A long nap is exactly what the doctor ordered.”
“A big bowl of hot soup is what the doctor ordered on this rainy day.”
“Your honest advice is exactly what the doctor ordered for my current problem.”
“After a stressful week at work, a quiet weekend in the mountains was just what the doctor ordered.”
“This cool breeze is what the doctor ordered after we spent the whole afternoon working in the hot sun.”
“The team was losing hope, so that early goal in the second half was just what the doctor ordered.”
“The unexpected promotion, arriving just as he began to doubt his career path, proved to be precisely what the doctor ordered to restore his waning confidence.”
Examples
simple
“A long nap is exactly what the doctor ordered.”
“A big bowl of hot soup is what the doctor ordered on this rainy day.”
“Your honest advice is exactly what the doctor ordered for my current problem.”
contextual
“After a stressful week at work, a quiet weekend in the mountains was just what the doctor ordered.”
“This cool breeze is what the doctor ordered after we spent the whole afternoon working in the hot sun.”
“The team was losing hope, so that early goal in the second half was just what the doctor ordered.”
complex
“The unexpected promotion, arriving just as he began to doubt his career path, proved to be precisely what the doctor ordered to restore his waning confidence.”
Origin
The phrase references the medical practice of a physician prescribing a specific treatment to alleviate a patient's illness. It identifies a course of action, such as exercise, relaxation, or a particular diet, that is judged to be beneficial to the patient’s health.
Key words
Related idioms
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