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.