bed check

noun

an inspection conducted soon after bedtime or during the night, as in a barracks or dormitory, to determine the presence or absence of persons required by regulation to be in bed.

First recorded in 1925–30

Only a few cadets were still out on the quadrangle, lounging around in the open before returning to their quarters for bed-check.

I was given a bed check corresponding to the number of my hat, and told to go upstairs.

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