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You are here: Home / English lessons / English idioms & expressions about sleep

English idioms & expressions about sleep

7th June 2017 by Andrew

This English lesson has 2 versions: 1) A video and 2) A written version
I recommend you to watch the video and then read the article below.

In this lesson, you will learn 8 idioms and expressions regarding sleep.

sleep like a log

= to sleep very well, without waking up during the night.


A “log” is a long length of wood from a tree. So the literal meaning is to sleep like a piece of wood!

logs
Examples:
Jane is sleeping like a log.
The next morning, Jane says:
Jane: “Last night I slept like a log.”

The verb “sleep” is an irregular verb in English. The past simple form is “slept” and the past participle is also “slept”

fast asleep

“fast asleep” is an adjective. It is a state.
It means to be sleeping very well.

Example:

sleeping child

She is fast asleep.

to not sleep a wink

= to NOT sleep at all.

Example:
Jane: “Last night I didn’t sleep a wink.”

hit the sack

This is an informal expression. It means to go to bed to sleep.

Example:
Jane: “I’m tired. I’m going to hit the sack. Good night!”

drop off to sleep

= the moment you start to sleep.

Example:
Mark dropped off to sleep after lunch.

fall asleep

= to start to sleep.

Example:
Sarah is falling asleep at her desk.

lie-in

This is a noun. The expression is “to have a lie-in”
It means to sleep until a later time than usual. (by choice)
“lie-in” is mainly a British English word and expression. It isn’t often used in American English.

Example:
It’s Saturday. Jane is having a lie-in.

In American English, they say “to sleep in”

Example:
It’s the weekend. Sarah is sleeping in.

oversleep

This is a verb.
It means to sleep until a later time than usual. (NOT by choice)

Example:

Mark wakes up late. When he arrives at work, he says to his boss:
Mark: “Sorry I’m late. I overslept.”

Filed Under: English lessons

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vivian Lopez says

    13th December 2017 at 10:09 am

    The post is very useful. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Artur Prilepov says

    9th October 2018 at 3:09 pm

    The post is very helpful!!!))) Thx for help!)))

  3. Sarvesh Kumar says

    5th January 2021 at 8:34 am

    It was very helpful. Thanks.

  4. AkuroTheWolf says

    12th March 2021 at 10:46 am

    Thanks for these! I wanted a different way of telling my friends I was gonna dip, and these totally helped! 😀

  5. SoundofText says

    26th February 2024 at 10:05 am

    Great blog post! I loved learning about these English idioms and expressions related to sleep. It’s fascinating how we have so many ways to describe our sleep patterns and habits. My personal favorite is “to hit the sack,” which I never would have guessed had such an interesting origin. Can’t wait to try out some of these idioms in my everyday conversations!

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