I had a presentiment that a little whisky warm with a slice of lemon would do my comp

[tufguy]

I had a presentiment that a little whisky warm with a slice of lemon would do my complaint good. (This line is from the novel "Three men in a boat" by Jerome.K.Jerome).

Could you please tell me the meaning of "would do my complaint good"?

 

[emsr2d2]

These days, you're more likely to hear "would do me good". We use the phrase for anything that we feel might be at least a little beneficial to us.

- I've got a cold.
- Have a tot of whisky, lemon and honey. It'll do you good.

- How are you?
- I've got a terrible migraine.
- Would you like some painkillers?
- No thanks. I'm going to lie down in a darkened room for a couple of hours. That usually does me good.

 

[Rover_KE]

tufguy, note how we write 'Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome' in BE.

Also, when you're citing this source, please add (1889), to remind everybody that this book was written 128 years ago, so is not a good example of modern English, though fortunately, this treatment for a cold remains effective to this day.

 

[Tdol]

It's an enjoyable book, though. And a dentist recommended a stiff drink to me after some treatment a couple of months ago, though he suggested whisky but made no mention of lemon.