hit the sack
hit the sack,
also, hit the hay
Meaning
- to go to bed
- to go to sleep
Example
- I am really tired after all that exercise. I am going to hit the sack.
- After the long road trip, we were all dead tired and ready to hit the hay as soon as we reached home.
- This job is really sucking the life out of me. I haven’t hit the sack in nearly twenty-four hours!
- Before I hit the sack, I make it a point to check whether all the doors are locked and all the lights are turned off.
- He wanted to hit the sack and did not feel like going out to party with his friends.
- They’ve already hit the sack as they have to catch an early morning flight tomorrow.
- Even though he had hit the hay long back, he continued to toss and turn in his bed and couldn’t get any sleep.
- After I hit the sack, I read for some time before turning off the lights and going to sleep.
Origin
This phrase originated in America around the late 1800s to early 1900s, when mattresses used to consist of old sacks filled with hay or straw.
See also: hit the hay
About the Author
Elena Jones holds a PhD in Education from Harvard University. She has extensive experience teaching at both the K–12 and university levels, with a particular focus on English as a Second Language. Elena has dedicated her career to advancing educational practices, and she has contributed to numerous educational journals.
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Share your opinions4 Opinions
I think that if someone looks tired or sick you could say, “Hit the sack/hay.”
‒ Anonymous May 18, 2023
So I’m seeing questions here that I hope I can help answer. I’m from Texas and that is an extremely common phrase here. It is totally acceptable to tell someone to say, “I’m going to hit the sack”. it may be awkward to tell someone to “hit the sack” . Reason being, you are telling someone to “go to sleep” and that may not be appropriate to let’s say your in laws.
Someone asked if it was ok to say it in a situation where they were leaving someone’s house, to go home and go to sleep. I have used it this way, pretty often and people here, in Texas will grasp that and it’s perfecting acceptable. There may be other places where you have to preface that statement with “I’m headed home to hit the hay/sack”. As with any phrase, I think you need to have a very clear understanding that this phrase means “go(ing) to sleep”.
‒ James A Llamozas December 4, 2021
It is OK to say “I am going to hit the sack” when you are intending to go home and go to sleep. One should avoid asking someone to hit the sack together with them, unless you are quite sure that they would agree to such a thing.
‒ Anonymous November 12, 2021
Is it impolite to say “Hit the Sack”to someone?
‒ نجمه November 10, 2021