Idiom | Forty Winks |
---|---|
Example | I just need forty winks and I'll be able to work all night. |
Meaning | a short nap |
Origin | Since the 1300s, "wink" has referred to sleep, but probably just a short period of sleep because when you wink you close and open your eyelids quickly. In the Bible and the works of William Shakespeare, the number forty didn't always mean the number after thirty-nine. It meant an indefinite number or "few." The phrase "forty winks" was first used in 1872 in an issue of the famous British humor magazine Punch. |
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Corners earth place john f kennedy died people
Previous card: Birds movie i wasted money worthless useless stupid
Up to card list: Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms