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Re:Non-native speakers navigate the world of 'good' and 'bad... by lovelearning on Sunday May 23, 2021 @02:23AM (#27252843)
"do the needful" is found in British English books from the 19th century.[1] I suspect it's officialese that never went out of usage in bureaucratic and judicial circles in former colonies.

[1] : https://www.google.com/search?q=%22do%20the%20needful%22&tbm...

Re:Non-native speakers navigate the world of 'good' and 'bad... by bluepizza on Sunday May 23, 2021 @05:29AM (#27253619)
This is the correct explanation.

Also: it's not common, but still acceptable and not weird at all in some languages, like the Portuguese "fazer o necessário".

Re:Non-native speakers navigate the world of 'good' and 'bad... by noisy_boy on Sunday May 23, 2021 @03:39AM (#27253119)
I didn't know that - thanks for sharing.