Etymology Journal · G
Good night a-living!
Meaning
- An exclamation used to express shock or surprise, similar to saying goodness gracious or well I never. It is used when someone is caught off guard by a revelation or a loud noise.
Startled, folksy
Used in a sentence
- Good night a-living, you scared me to death!
- Good night a-living, how did you manage to fix that engine so fast?
- I walked in and saw the mess and just said, good night a-living.
The backstory
This is a folksy, idiomatic expansion of an exclamation of alarm. It likely started as a way of saying good night to one's senses or as a corrupted pronunciation of a more formal phrase.
Heard in
The South / Appalachia
Vibe check