what the doctor ordered
Exactly what's needed
Exactly what is needed or wanted, especially something that brings relief or improvement.
The phrase suggests the same trustworthy rightness as medical advice: After that hike, a cold beer was just what the doctor ordered.
Often used for simple pleasures that feel perfectly suited to the moment.
- beneficialProducing good results
- restorativePromoting return to health
- helpfulGiving useful aid
- remedyCurative treatment or fix
- wholesomeConducive to well-being
chicken soup · tailor-made · relief · fresh air · breath of fresh air · solution · cure · healing · prescription · answer · cup of tea · spot-on · hit the spot · hit the nail on the head · therapeutic · just the ticket · panacea · soothing
what the doctor orderedpoison
Harmful ingested substance
adding insult to injury · salt in the wound · rubbing salt in the wound · bad news · unwelcome
what the doctor orderedill-suited
Not appropriate for
inappropriate · out of place · wide of the mark · off the mark · misguided
what the doctor orderedoff the mark
Incorrect or mistaken
wide of the mark · barking up the wrong tree · missing the point · beside the point · counterproductive
order, doctor, doctors, doctored, doctoring, doctorate, doctoral, prescriber