happy man be his dole
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
May his share or lot be that of a happy or fortunate man. Your father and my uncle have made motions* if it be my luck, so ; if not, happy man be his dole ! — Merry Wives, iii, 4.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “happy man be his dole” mean?
May his share or lot be that of a happy or fortunate man. Your father and my uncle have made motions* if it be my luck, so ; if not, happy man be his dole ! — Merry Wives, iii, 4.
Is “happy man be his dole” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.