doss down
phr. v..phr. v.. to sleep somewhere temporary and not very comfortable, like on a sofa or the floor, because you have no other choice.
phr. v.. to find a temporary place to sleep, typically in makeshift or substandard conditions; marked British informal register.
I'll just doss down on your sofa for the night.
After missing the last train home, he had to doss down on the station floor until morning.
The hikers were forced to doss down in a derelict barn when the storm made further progress impossible.
- Particles
- down
- Separability
- optional
- Pattern
- doss + down (+ on/in + object)
informal British English; usually implies a lack of proper bedding or a formal sleeping arrangement.
useful for teaching British slang related to 'doss' (to idle or avoid work); contrast with 'crash' which is more common in American English for the same scenario.
I dossed down the floor.I dossed down on the floor.the verb requires a preposition like 'on' or 'in' to indicate the location of sleep.