When did the expression, 'Have a nice day!' originate?
Question #136308. Asked by Walneto.
Last updated Jun 25 2014.
Originally posted Jun 25 2014 3:54 PM.
CmdrK
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CmdrK Moderator 16 year member
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The phrase "Have a good day" may go as far back as 1205 in Britain. The variant "Have a nice day" was first recorded as being used in the 1948 movie "A Letter to Three Wives".
How about in the 13th or 14th centuries, during which this (close) variant appeared: "have a good day," either in 1205 in "Layamon's Brut;" or in 1387 in "The Canterbury Tales."
"Have a Nice Day" seemed to makes its way in to US idiomatic usage by 1920.