what the doctor ordered

A reference to a doctor prescribing treatment to alleviate a patient’s illness, or a course of action (exercise, a healthy diet, relaxation, etc.) that will be beneficial to the patient’s health.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌʍɒt ðə ˈdɒktə ˌɔːdəd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌʍɑt ðə ˈdɑktɚ ˌɔɹdɚd/, [ˌwɑt-]

• Audio (General Australian); “just what the doctor ordered”:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: what the doc‧tor or‧dered

what the doctor ordered (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) Exactly what is necessary or useful in a given situation; something very beneficial or desirable.

• just what the doctor ordered

• doctor's orders
• you are the doctor, you're the doctor

• “what the doctor ordered” under “doctor, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, July 2020.
• “be just what the doctor ordered, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.