Good night, nurse!
Posted by R. Berg on October 18, 2001
In Reply to: GOOD NIGHT posted by L HOLT on October 18, 2001
: DOES ANYBODY KNOW THE ORIGIN OF "GOODNIGHT NURSE"? THANKS
From Eric Partridge, Dictionary of Catch Phrases: American and British, from the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day:
"Good night, nurse!," although it prob. dates from c. 1910, became popular during--and largely because of--WW1, with particular ref. to the naval and military hospitals for Other Ranks. It is synon. with and clearly prompted by the simple, the basic, "good night!"