forty winks

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a short nap.

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forty winks British  

noun

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

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forty winks Cultural  

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

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forty winks Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of forty winks

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

We probably all know about counting sheep, or letting sleeping dogs lie, but the facts about forty winks in the animal kingdom are still subject to debate.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2014

Then I managed to get forty winks or so of sleep around sunrise.

From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney

There was no disregarding that imperative summons, no turning over for another "forty winks."

From Army Boys in France or, From Training Camp to Trenches by Randall, Homer

“Can’t you let a fellow catch forty winks without sending out the riot squad?”

From Swamp Island by Wirt, Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine)

Edala had retired, announcing an intention of having forty winks and reappearing when it was cooler.

From The White Hand and the Black A Story of the Natal Rising by Mitford, Bertram