hale and hearty


In robust good health, as in After her long bout with pneumonia, I was glad to see her hale and hearty. This redundant expression, since both hale and hearty here mean “healthy,” probably survives owing to its pleasing alliteration. [Mid-1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.