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forty winks

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forty winks

 
Use forty winks in a Sentence
–noun Informal.
a short nap.
Origin:
1815–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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forty winks  
pl.n.   Informal (used with a sing. or pl. verb)
A short nap.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

forty winks

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

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
forty winks

  1. n.
    a nap; sleep. (Usually with a quantifier. Either forty or some, a few, a bunch of, etc.) : I could use forty winks before I have to get to work.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Idioms & Phrases

forty winks

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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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