ENGLISH
REFERENCE

forty winks

idiom
Meaning

A short sleep, an extra sleep, a nap.


Origin

disputed origin

From forty + winks, possibly referring to a nap supposedly lasting as long as it takes a person to wink (i.e., blink) forty times.

Examples
SIMPLE

I need forty winks before dinner.

CONTEXTUAL

The baby was finally asleep, so the tired mother grabbed forty winks on the sofa.

COMPLEX

Between shifts at the hospital, the young doctor would steal forty winks in the on-call room, her coat folded beneath her head for a pillow.

Anchors to
Related idioms5entries
  1. 01

    back forty

    The most remote or inaccessible part of any place.

  2. 02

    forty minutes of hell

    The NCAA strategy of playing a suffocating full-court press and aggressive offense for the entirety of a game.

  3. 03

    north forty

    Farms, ranches, or agricultural land collectively.

  4. 04

    plough the back forty

    To engage in sexual intercourse.

  5. 05

    twenty winks

    A very short sleep, half as long as forty winks.

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