hit the hay

Idioms  

1. Also, hit the sack. Go to bed, as in I usually hit the hay after the eleven o'clock news, or I'm tired, let's hit the sack. The first colloquial expression dates from the early 1900s, the variant from about 1940.

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Example Sentences

I asked him: What time do you hit the hay?

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

This is a perfect gift for a late-night reader whose partner might hit the hay early.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2023

While she’s talking, I’m doing the math, trying to calculate how long it will take for her to bathe, brush her teeth, read a book and hit the hay.

From Washington Post • Aug. 22, 2019

Once all those boxes are checked, the cat can finally hit the hay and dream about doing it again tomorrow.

From Slate • Dec. 5, 2018

The bottle reached the edge and slipped from our view, made an almost inaudible swish as it hit the hay below.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth