Idiom
Good riddance
You say good riddance when you are glad that someone or something unpleasant has gone or been removed.
How people use it
People say it, or think it, when a person, thing or situation they disliked is finally gone. It often stands alone as a reply ("The noisy neighbors moved out." "Good riddance.") or comes before "to": good riddance to the old printer. It is blunt and can sound rude if the person you mean might hear it, so in polite company it is used more about things, habits and problems than about people. The longer form "good riddance to bad rubbish" is mainly British.
Also said: good riddance to bad rubbish.
Examples
- When the movers hauled away the leaky old water heater, Dad waved and said good riddance.
- Good riddance to winter; I'm ready for warm mornings and longer evenings.
- The whole street said good riddance when the noisy late-night food truck found a new spot.
Where it comes from
Riddance means getting rid of something, and the word has been in English since the 1500s. Shakespeare used the phrase in Troilus and Cressida (around 1602), where Patroclus says "A good riddance" as a sharp-tongued character walks off. The rhyming extension "good riddance to bad rubbish" came later and is mostly heard in Britain.
Check yourself
1. What does someone mean when they say good riddance about an old car they sold?
Answer: They are glad it is gone. Good riddance shows relief that something unwanted has gone.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: The broken fence is finally gone, and good riddance.. Good riddance expresses relief at losing something unwanted, not good wishes or a greeting.
Similar idioms
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