Sleep A Wink, to not

Also:

Not get a wink of sleep
Not have a wink of sleep

Meaning of Idiom ‘Not Sleep a Wink’

To not sleep a wink means to not sleep at all; to fail to fall asleep or get any sleep. ¹Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.,²Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.

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Usage

This idiom is always used in the negative. One never says “I slept a wink.” As well, it is almost always used in the past tense or the present continuous tense. To hear “he is sleeping a wink” would sound odd. Instead, we say “he is asleep” or “he is sleeping.” However, both “I didn’t sleep a wink” and “I am not sleeping a wink, lately” are correct.

Examples Of Use

“The kids never sleep a wink on Christmas eve.”

“This interview has got me so anxious I couldn’t sleep a wink last night.”

“I’d like to go out later but first I need a nap. I haven’t slept a wink in the last 24 hours.”

“He didn’t get a wink of sleep before his trip, and sleeping on the plane was impossible.”

Origin

First recorded around 1325.

The word wink alludes to closing your eyes for sleep. Since a wink refers to closing your eyes for an instant, if you only sleep ‘for a wink’ you sleep for a very short time. ³Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.

More Idioms Starting with S

• Scaredy-Cat
• Steal Someone’s Thunder
• Stand On Someone’s Shoulders
• Sleep Tight
• Screw Up

More Sleep Idioms

• Sleep Tight
• Sleep In
• Hit the Hay
• Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

More Wink Idioms

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