Meanings
alternative good night, Irene · alternative good night Irene · alternative goodnight, Irene
- idiomaticAn involuntary departure.
What the bleedin' 'ell? We were havin' a right rip snorter 'ere, and then this piker shows up, and just like that it's "Good night, Irene"!
2011 February 21, “Stop! Celebrate and Witness, Goku's Back From 100X Fitness!” (4:59 from the start), in Dragon Ball Z Abridged, season 2, episode 11, spoken by Jeice (GanXingba), TeamFourStar; distributed by YouTube
Origin
From the blues/folk song Goodnight Irene first popularized by Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
goodnight Irene. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goodnight%20Irene
“goodnight Irene.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goodnight%20Irene. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “goodnight Irene,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goodnight%20Irene.
Source: goodnight Irene on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.