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I've watching a TV show called My Wife and Kids and there's a scene in which Michael Kyle says

I'm gonna get some sleep. Night-night. Don't let the garden bugs bite.

I've searched Google for "don't let the garden bugs bite meaning", and the only result is another idiom:

Don't let the bedbugs bite

Can someone please explain what he's trying to say in this scene?

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    It's a phrase tacked onto the end of "Sleep tight".
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Feb 10, 2023 at 2:31
  • The normal saying is "don't let the bedbugs bite." The use of "garden bugs" is probably intended as a joke of some sort, but the video is blocked in the US so I don't know the context.
    – alphabet
    Commented Feb 10, 2023 at 2:56
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    You should explain what is happening in the scene, who the characters are, etc. Don't assume everyone is familiar with the episode.
    – Stuart F
    Commented Feb 10, 2023 at 6:54

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'Don't let the bed bugs bite' is typically appended to (other) good night wishes (see, for example, here), these days more as a comedic note.

In the scene Michael's son arrives home late, and his father has already locked the door. To prove some point about his kids' entitlement (I haven't watched the entire episode) he is about to let his son sleep in the garden.

Michael's snide remark "don't let the garden bugs bite" both emphasizes the son's lack of a bed, and the possible danger of having real bugs bite him.

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