what the doctor ordered
7
7.5
- idiom
:
justo lo que se necesitaba
- After feeling under the weather for days, a little sunshine and fresh air were exactly what the doctor ordered.
- just what the doctor ordered
Examples
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I got just what the doctor ordered.
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Just what the doctor ordered.
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And he may be just what the doctor ordered for this team.
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I think I got just what the doctor ordered.
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'This is just what the doctor ordered.'
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Exactly what the doctor ordered.
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And it was just what the doctor ordered for the kid.
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It's just what the doctor ordered, I know.
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Leaving the city life behind and taking a job in a small town in Montana was just what the doctor ordered.
Blog text (4) -
We are having a wonderful time here—just what the doctor ordered for rest and relaxation!
Blog text (23)
Antonyms
How Useful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally refers to something a doctor would 'order' (prescribe), so learners who know 'doctor' and 'order/ordered' can infer a sense of a recommended or appropriate remedy. However, the common idiomatic extension to mean 'exactly what is needed' is a pragmatic/metaphorical shift that is not fully predictable from the parts alone, so prior exposure helps. Cross-linguistically similar prescription metaphors exist, making it partially transparent but still idiomatic.
Etymology
What the doctor ordered may come from the simple idea of a doctor writing an 'order' for the right medicine or rest. That's why calling something what the doctor ordered means it is 'exactly what is needed or wanted'.