beauty sleep

See also: beauty-sleep

English

WOTD – 29 January 2024

Etymology

Raja Ravi Varma, Lady Resting on the Pillow (19th–20th century).

From beauty (noun) +‎ sleep (noun).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbjuːti ˌsliːp/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbjuti ˌslip/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: beau‧ty sleep

Noun

beauty sleep (countable and uncountable, plural beauty sleeps) (idiomatic)

1. (uncountable) Originally, sleep taken before midnight, on the belief that early sleep hours conduce to beauty and health; now (chiefly humorous), sleep at any time needed by one to stay beautiful; (countable) an instance of such sleep. [from early 19th c.]
   • 1857, Charles Kingsley, “The Cruise of the Waterwitch”, in Two Years Ago, volume II, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 148:

     A medical man, who may be called up at any moment, must make sure of his ‘beauty-sleep.’

   • 1869, R[ichard] D[oddridge] Blackmore, chapter XII, in Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor. […], volume III, London: Sampson Low, Son, & Marston, […], →OCLC, pages 187–188:

     And would I please to remember that I had roused him up at night, and the quality always made a point of paying four times over for a man's loss of his beauty-sleep. I replied that his loss of beauty-sleep was rather improving to a man of so high complexion; and that I, being none of that quality, must pay half-quality prices; […]

2. (uncountable, chiefly humorous) Extra sleep; also (generally), any sleep; (countable) an instance of this; an extra nap.

   Synonym: beauty rest

   • 1901, Ralph Connor, “A Good True Friend”, in The Man from Glengarry: A Tale of the Ottawa, Toronto, Ont.: The Westminster Company, →OCLC, page 428:

     But eager as Kate was for her beauty sleep, the light burned late in her room; and long after she had seen Mrs. Murray snugly tucked in for the night, she sat with Ranald's open letter in her hand, reading it till she almost knew it by heart.

   • 1906 October, Annie Fellows Johnston, “The Wedding”, in The Little Colonel: Maid of Honor, Boston, Mass.: L[ouis] C[oues] Page & Company, published August 1907, →OCLC:

     "I know I ought to be taking a beauty sleep," she thought, "so I'll be all fresh and fine for the evening, but I must find it [a piece of turquoise], for I promised Phil I'd wear it."

Alternative forms

• beauty-sleep

Translations

originally, sleep taken before midnight, on the belief that early sleep hours conduce to beauty and health; now, sleep at any time needed by one to stay beautiful; an instance of such sleep

• Finnish: kauneusunet pl
• Macedonian: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: sono da beleza m
• Swedish: skönhetssömn (sv) c

extra sleep; an instance of this

• Finnish: kauneusunet pl
• French: roupillon (fr), sommeil réparateur m (literally “refreshing sleep”)
• German: Schönheitsschlaf m
• Macedonian: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: skönhetssömn (sv) c

any sleep — see sleep

See also

• Sleeping Beauty

Further reading

• sleep on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• John S[tephen] Farmer, compiler (1890) “Beauty-Sleep, subs.”, in Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present. […], volume I, [London: […] Thomas Poulter and Sons] […], →OCLC, page 159.