many happy returns

many happy returns

I wish you a very happy birthday and many more in the future. Hey Jack, many happy returns! Are you going to do anything special to celebrate the occasion?

See also: happy, many, return

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

many happy returns

Also, many happy returns of the day. Happy birthday and many more of them, as in I came by to wish you many happy returns. This expression was first recorded in a letter of 1779 where the writer meant "Happy New Year," but the present meaning has persisted since the second half of the 1800s.

See also: happy, many, return

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

many happy reˈturns (of the ˈday)

used to wish somebody a happy and pleasant birthday: Here’s your present. Many happy returns!

See also: happy, many, return

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017