meaning - How long is a 'wink'?


If I'm off to catch forty winks, how long will I be asleep?


I'm interested to know if there is a specific amount of time associated with a 'wink', or if there's no actual amount of time behind it?



Answer



"Forty winks" is just an idiom meaning a nap for a short period of time. From the Wikipedia entry:



To take forty winks is to take a nap for a short period of time (usually not in bed), or to take a short sleep during the day. The term Forty winks is an English idiomatic noun that can be used in the singular or plural. This can be used in sayings such as "Tom had 40 winks during his dinner hour, while Brett was busy at work".


Alternative idiomatic sayings such as could not sleep a wink provide the mental picture of a wink being the shortest type of sleep available and "forty winks" therefore gives an indication of an appropriate short sleep.



A wink is a very short period of time, a moment; also known as "the blink of an eye" (as in "quick as a wink"). Other languages have this expression as well. Cf. German ein Augenblick, etc.


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