Happily ever after is the ending every fairy tale promises. And they lived happily ever after, no happily ever after, the happily ever after.
The formula closes the story by refusing to say anything more, which is its whole trick — no marriage or kingdom is described, only that nothing further went wrong. It is now used ironically as often as straight, and as a noun for an ending too neat to believe.
1phrasehappily ever afterThe traditional happy ending of a fairy tale.
“The prince married the princess, and they lived happily ever after.”
happily ever after is an ending.
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Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Myths & Legends, Fairy Tales & Folklore