Solving Problems with Sleep Expressions
2022-07-17
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2A couple of years ago, we wrote a story titled "Ways We Sleep."
3We taught expressions such as catch a few z's, get some shuteye, nod off, and turn in ... just to name a few.
4There are many, many sleep expressions in English.
5But today we talk about ones that deal with problem solving.
6Now, it is common to sleep on a bed.
7When we go camping, we sleep on the ground, or we sleep on a cot.
8If we fall asleep watching television or when we visit a friend's house, we may sleep on a couch.
9 And sometimes we may have to sleep on a floor.
10But "to sleep on" has another meaning.
11If I have a problem and cannot think of an answer, I can "sleep on it."
12Often an answer comes to me the next day.
13Let's say some co-workers are working on a project together, and they run into a difficult problem.
14No one can think of a way to solve it.
15 One person might say, "Look, we're not getting anywhere. So, let's sleep on it. Tomorrow we can try to figure this out."
16To "sleep on" something means you give yourself time to think about a problem overnight.
17You plan to make a decision about it later.
18This does not have to mean that you are actively thinking about the problem.
19Your subconscious may be working on it.
20For example, if I am writing a story and run into a problem, I often sleep on it.
21I think about the problem before I go to sleep and hope that my sleeping self comes to the rescue!
22Sometimes we use this expression when we just want more time to pass.
23We also use it when we want to look at a problem with a rested mind.
24We know that sleep is necessary to be healthy, both mentally and physically.
25Sometimes a problem doesn't look so bad the next day after a good night's sleep.
26Here is another sleep expression.
27Some problems are not a big deal - they are not important. You can describe them as "nothing to lose sleep over."
28And if you want to say you are not going to worry about something, you can say you're "not going to lose sleep over it."
29Let's listen while two friends use this expression.
30Mark: Hey Tish, did you hear about the new apartment building coming to our neighborhood? It's going to have 100 units!
31Tish: I did. Why do you ask?
32Mark: It will mean a lot MORE people and a lot LESS parking. Aren't you upset?
33Tish: Well Mark, we DO live in a city. And cities have lots of people. So, I'm not losing any sleep over it -- if that's what you're asking.
34Mark: Good for you. I've lost A LOT of sleep over it.
35Okay, who is upset by the new apartment building - Mark or Tish?
36If you said Mark, you are right!
37For our last expression, we talk about serious problems - problems in which your life might be at stake!
38If you "sleep with one eye open," you are too distrustful to fall asleep.
39You are suspicious of others around you. You are worried or even fearful that someone or something will hurt you in your sleep.
40For example, once I took a friend camping with me.
41She was a city girl and had never been camping.
42While sleeping in a tent in in the woods, she heard animal sounds and movements in the woods all night.
43In the morning, I asked her how she slept.
44She said, "I didn't sleep a wink. I slept with one eye open the whole night!"
45And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories.
46If you run into a problem with English, try sleeping on it! Maybe the answer will come to you with the morning sun.
47Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2A couple of years ago, we wrote a story titled "Ways We Sleep." We taught expressions such as catch a few z's, get some shuteye, nod off, and turn in ... just to name a few. 3There are many, many sleep expressions in English. But today we talk about ones that deal with problem solving. 4Now, it is common to sleep on a bed. When we go camping, we sleep on the ground, or we sleep on a cot. If we fall asleep watching television or when we visit a friend's house, we may sleep on a couch. And sometimes we may have to sleep on a floor. 5But "to sleep on" has another meaning. 6If I have a problem and cannot think of an answer, I can "sleep on it." Often an answer comes to me the next day. 7Let's say some co-workers are working on a project together, and they run into a difficult problem. No one can think of a way to solve it. One person might say, "Look, we're not getting anywhere. So, let's sleep on it. Tomorrow we can try to figure this out." 8To "sleep on" something means you give yourself time to think about a problem overnight. You plan to make a decision about it later. 9This does not have to mean that you are actively thinking about the problem. Your subconscious may be working on it. For example, if I am writing a story and run into a problem, I often sleep on it. I think about the problem before I go to sleep and hope that my sleeping self comes to the rescue! 10Sometimes we use this expression when we just want more time to pass. We also use it when we want to look at a problem with a rested mind. We know that sleep is necessary to be healthy, both mentally and physically. Sometimes a problem doesn't look so bad the next day after a good night's sleep. 11Here is another sleep expression. 12Some problems are not a big deal - they are not important. You can describe them as "nothing to lose sleep over." And if you want to say you are not going to worry about something, you can say you're "not going to lose sleep over it." 13Let's listen while two friends use this expression. 14Mark: Hey Tish, did you hear about the new apartment building coming to our neighborhood? It's going to have 100 units! 15Tish: I did. Why do you ask? 16Mark: It will mean a lot MORE people and a lot LESS parking. Aren't you upset? 17Tish: Well Mark, we DO live in a city. And cities have lots of people. So, I'm not losing any sleep over it -- if that's what you're asking. 18Mark: Good for you. I've lost A LOT of sleep over it. 19Okay, who is upset by the new apartment building - Mark or Tish? 20If you said Mark, you are right! 21For our last expression, we talk about serious problems - problems in which your life might be at stake! 22If you "sleep with one eye open," you are too distrustful to fall asleep. You are suspicious of others around you. You are worried or even fearful that someone or something will hurt you in your sleep. 23For example, once I took a friend camping with me. She was a city girl and had never been camping. While sleeping in a tent in in the woods, she heard animal sounds and movements in the woods all night. In the morning, I asked her how she slept. She said, "I didn't sleep a wink. I slept with one eye open the whole night!" 24And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. 25If you run into a problem with English, try sleeping on it! Maybe the answer will come to you with the morning sun. 26Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 27Anna Matteo wrote this for VOA Learning English. 28__________________________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30camping -n. the activity of sleeping outdoors in a tent or cabin usually for fun 31cot -n. a thin, light bed that can be folded 32couch -n. a piece of furniture that a person can sit on or lie down on 33cushion -n. a soft pillow or pad to rest on 34subconscious -n. the part of a person's mind that they do not consciously know about 35unit -n. a single thing, person, or group forming part of a whole 36at stake -n. in a position to be lost if something goes wrong 37sleep a wink -v. to sleep for a very short period of time 38____________________________________________________________________ 39What do you think of today's program on sleep expressions? We want to hear from you. 40We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 41Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.