Origins of Expressions

  Sleep Tight Watch this on YouTube here - Sleep Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Sleep Tight means to sleep well, undisturbed. “Sleep tight” Origin: Sleep tight is quite a common phrase it's used in many parts of the English-speaking world. It's common at bedtime in the form of the rhyme "good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite". The one piece of this phrase that gets a lot of questions is the word tight, there are several theories going around as to the origin of sleep tight. The most common suggestion is that the phrase dates from the days when mattresses were supported by ropes which needed to be pulled tight to provide a well-sprung bed. However, 'Sleep tight' didn't derive from ancient furniture and, in fact, isn't a very old expression at all. The word tight has a meaning of ‘safely’ or ‘soundly . So the phrase sleep tight meant to sleep soundly. The first citation of it that I can find is from 1866. In the diary by Susan Bradford ...

  Sleep Like a Log Watch this on YouTube here - Sleep Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Sleep Like a Log means to sleep very soundly, to sleep well.  Origin: This idiom has been around for a while; however, it was first written in Spanish from what I can find in 1561. It translates to: Juan de Timoneda, "Cancionero llamado Sarao de amor", 1561 De que's en la cama duerme como un leño, bien harto de migas bruxo çahareño [...]. Translated to:  Of what's in bed sleeps like a log, well fed up with crumbs the wicked çahareño [...]. The first written history in English is from 1808 a journal entry written by Matthew Livingston Davis, and Aaron Burr, and published in 1838 The Private Journal of Aaron Burr, During His Residence of Four Years in Europe, it reads: Slept like a log till ten, and then was called. This atmosphere is certainly narcotic. You see all along how enormously I have slept. Example: Today we still use the term sleep like a log to express we just got a re...

  T o Catch Some Z’s  Watch this on YouTube here - Sleep Video - YouTube Video Meaning: To Catch Some Z’s means to get some sleep, you are leaving to go to bed.  “I am going to catch some Z’s, see ya later.” Origin: Z’s (Zzz) are an onomatopoeic representation of snoring. It was commonly used in media where sound effects were not an option, notably in comic books. That's where it got its association with sleeping and snoring. It's unclear why Z’s came to represent snoring. It was first used to represent snoring and sleep in a 1903 comic strip called Katzenjammer Kids. It is speculated that comic book artists were unsure how to represent sleep in their work, so they used the “z” to imitate the sound of loud snoring.is Example: Today we have incorporated the Z into our language as a way to tell people we are going to bed, getting some sleep, catching some Z’s. an example sentence would be: “All I want to d...