many happy returns

English

Noun

many happy returns

(idiomatic) A greeting, usually for birthdays, in reference to the passing year; Happy birthday!
The earliest attributable use was by Lady Newdigate in a letter written in 1789 (and published in Newdigate-Newdegate Cheverels in 1898)[1]:

Many happy returns of ye day to us my Dr Love.

Translations

Many happy returns!

Finnish: paljon onnea
Greek: χρόνια πολλά (el) m pl (chrónia pollá)
Latvian: daudz baltu dieniņu

Manx: laa ruggyree sonney dhyt
Polish: sto lat

References

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/244300.html

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.