night night
2
6.0
- idiom
- Baby Talk
:
buenas noches
- For several weeks now, he's been touching my belly and saying "Night, night, baby" when I lay him down to bed.
Examples
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And do doggies go night-night in their own beds?
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Goodnight, my little one; it's time for night night.
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You have to do night-nights.
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It's your turn for night-nights.
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I'm all, "Harrison, your bus is very sleepy and wants to go night-night with you."
Blog text (31) -
Say, "Night-night, Daddy."
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I got a pretty awesome workout going back and forth to his room last night, calmly telling him to "Get back in bed, it's night-night time."
Blog text (31) -
Night-night, bubba.
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As she tucked him in, she whispered, "Sweet dreams, night night."
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With a gentle smile, he said to his daughter, "It's night night time, sleep tight!"
Synonyms
77
1.0
A polite phrase for saying goodbye in the evening before sleep
9
1.0
To wish someone a good night before they go to sleep
3
8.1
A friendly way to say good night to someone before sleep, often to children
A casual way to say goodbye at the end of the day
Antonyms
How Late
- Baby Talk
2
6.0
- Formal
1
8.7
- Formal
- Specialized
4
5.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward reduplication of 'night' used as a casual/affectionate form of 'good night'; the meaning is directly related to the known noun 'night' and the context of bedtime. Reduplication to express affection or emphasis is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows 'night' will very likely infer that 'night night' means 'goodnight'.
Etymology
Night night is a gentle, doubled way to say 'good night' that grew from parents and family talking softly to children. Repeating night sounds soothing like a tiny lullaby, so the phrase became a warm, affectionate way to wish someone sleep well.