After a hard day’s work, do you tend to stay up late to watch your favorite TV series or surf the internet? Or do you prefer to hit the sack early? This may depend on whether you’re an early bird (a person who usually wakes up early in the morning) or a night owl (a person who typically stays up late)!
Check out Dara’s latest video explaining today’s common idiom and read on below for the likely origin of this expression.
Transcript
Now, a sack is a kind of bag, like a bag for rice. So… you mean, punch it? No! This is just a simple idiom which means go to bed.
Let’s see how it’s used in day-to-day life.
- [Yawn]. I’m pretty beat. I’m going to hit the sack.
- You should probably hit the sack now, son. You have a test in the morning.
- Right, I’m shattered! Time to hit the sack. Good night!
Hmm, this recording business is tiring. I’m going to hit the sack! Good night, everyone!
Origin
It’s likely that this expression originates from people’s sleeping habits of the past. Throughout the centuries, many people slept on a simple homemade mattress — a sack or cloth bag stuffed full of hay (dried grass). An idiom with a similar meaning in English is to ‘hit the hay’.
Practice
Try to use this expression in a sentence.
- On a weeknight, what time do you tend to go to sleep? How about at the weekend?
- Talk about the last time you went to bed late. Describe the last time you went to bed early.
- Who is usually the first person to go to bed in your household? Who is usually the last person to go to bed?
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