It was a play on words. Bedlam is an Insane Asylum in London......he saw the ghosts of Christmas and instead of saying the typical "I shall retire to bed" , he said "I shall retire to bedlam" BOOM
The phrase "I'll retire to Bedlam" is meant to convey the speaker's humorously exaggerated declaration that they are going to go crazy or act foolishly. In A Christmas Carol, Alistair Sim's character is likely using it to express his whimsical intent to engage in some lighthearted mischief.
Bedlam was a popular name for ST. Mary of Bethlehem hospital in London at the time of Dickens's classic. It was a hospital for the mentally disturbed. Scrooge felt that it was more sane there than outside where people foolishly (in his opinion) were celebrating Christmas.
Scrooge says he will retire to the town of Blechingley, located in Surrey, England.
If I had a nickel for every time I had to scold my kids, I could retire; no pun intended. That is a great sentence for the word pun since it refers to the humorous use of a word or phrase.
Retire
One Foot in the Grave - 1990 One Foot in the Algarve 4-7 is rated/received certificates of: UK:PG (video rating) (1994)
The Undertaker will retire when he dies
She wasn't going to retire yet.They decided to retire to bed for the night.
The adjective form of retire is :- retired, retiring.
the band did not retire
when did sally ride retire
retire: jubilar(se)
he can resign not retire