Rip Van Winkle

American  

[rip van wing-kuhl] / ˌrɪp væn ˈwɪŋ kəl /

noun

1. (in a story by Washington Irving) a ne'er-do-well who sleeps 20 years and upon waking is startled to find how much the world has changed.

2. (italics) the story itself, published in The Sketch Book (1819).

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Rip Van Winkle British  

/ ˈrɪp væn ˈwɪŋkəl /

noun

1. a person who is oblivious to changes, esp in social attitudes or thought

2. a person who sleeps a lot

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“Rip Van Winkle” Cultural  

1. (1819) A story by Washington Irving. The title character goes to sleep after a game of bowling and much drinking in the mountains with a band of dwarves. He awakens twenty years later, an old man. Back home, Rip finds that all has changed: his wife is dead, his daughter is married, and the American Revolutionary War has taken place.

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Etymology

Origin of Rip Van Winkle

C19: from a character who slept for 20 years, in a story (1819) by Washington Irving (1783–1859), US writer

Example Sentences

A Rip Van Winkle who slept through the last half-century and awoke on Monday, Oct.

From Salon

An article in the Tennessean drew on the works of American literary forefather Washington Irving, describing the lack of scoring in the second and fourth quarters of a football game as a “Rip Van Winkle imitation” by the offenses.

From Washington Times

It’s as if Rip Van Winkle fell asleep in his early 20s in a start-up and woke up a 32-year-old at Burning Man.

From New York Times

Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery’s suggested retail price of Pappy 23-year-old is $299.99.

From Washington Times

A limited number of Pappy Van Winkle 23-year, produced by Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery of Frankfort, Kentucky, goes to each state.

From Washington Times