forty winks

noun

, Informal.

1. a short nap.

forty winks

noun

1. informal.
   functioning as singular or plural a short light sleep; nap

forty winks

1. A nap; a short sleep: “If you're feeling drowsy, take forty winks; I'll wake you when our guests arrive.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of forty winks¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Idioms and Phrases

A brief nap, as in There's just time for forty winks before we have to leave . This expression supposedly was first recorded in 1828 and relies on wink in the sense of “sleep,” a usage dating from the 14th century.

Example Sentences

And then father, tired from his morning services, snatched a "forty-winks."

From Project Gutenberg