Idiom Topics

  • The Ubiquitous Essentials

    10
    • On the other hand
    • At the end of the day
    • In the long run
    • Bear in mind
    • A piece of cake
    • Keep an eye on
    • Out of the blue
    • Rule of thumb
    • So far, so good
    • Behind the scenes

  • Everyday Casual & Workplace

    10
    • Under the weather
    • Call it a day
    • Up in the air
    • Wrap your head around
    • Break the ice
    • Get out of hand
    • Go the extra mile
    • Touch base
    • Hit the nail on the head
    • Cut corners

  • Problem Solving & Interaction

    10
    • See eye to eye
    • Read between the lines
    • Take it with a grain of salt
    • Get the hang of it
    • Give the benefit of the doubt
    • The elephant in the room
    • Hit the ground running
    • Play it by ear
    • Bite the bullet
    • Sit on the fence

  • Decisions & Perspectives

    9
    • Jump on the bandwagon
    • Cross that bridge when we come to it
    • The best of both worlds
    • A blessing in disguise
    • Once in a blue moon
    • Pull someone's leg
    • Miss the boat
    • Better late than never
    • Get your act together

  • Colorful & Traditional

    10
    • Spill the beans
    • Let the cat out of the bag
    • Bite off more than you can chew
    • Go back to the drawing board
    • Barking up the wrong tree
    • Actions speak louder than words
    • A penny for your thoughts
    • Break a leg
    • Hit the sack
    • Beat around the bush

  • Academic & Formal Discourse

    10
    • Bear fruit
    • Pave the way
    • Shed light on
    • Go hand in hand
    • Tip the scales
    • Fly in the face of
    • Bring to the table
    • Turn a blind eye
    • Draw a blank
    • State of the art

  • Emotions & Reactions

    10
    • Over the moon
    • Down in the dumps
    • On edge
    • Blow off steam
    • Keep your cool
    • Drive someone up the wall
    • On cloud nine
    • A weight off my shoulders
    • At your wits' end
    • Thrilled to bits

  • Effort, Success, & Failure

    10
    • Start from scratch
    • Pass with flying colors
    • Fall flat
    • Go down the drain
    • Keep your head above water
    • Pay off
    • Throw in the towel
    • Make headway
    • Uphill battle
    • Back to square one

  • Time, Speed, & Urgency

    10
    • Beat the clock
    • At the eleventh hour
    • Around the clock
    • In the nick of time
    • Drag your feet
    • Time flies
    • Make up for lost time
    • Call time on
    • Ahead of the curve
    • On the spur of the moment

  • Resources, Money, & Value

    10
    • Make ends meet
    • Foot the bill
    • Break the bank
    • Tighten your belt
    • Bang for your buck
    • A drop in the ocean
    • Make a killing
    • On a shoestring budget
    • Worth your weight in gold
    • Pay top dollar

Hit the sack

Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "Hit the sack" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourColorful & Traditional collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.

Colorful & Traditional

Hit the sack

Hit the sack
To go to bed in order to sleep.
History & Origin

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, inexpensive mattresses were often nothing more than large cloth bags or burlap sacks stuffed with straw, hay, or down. Before lying down, people would physically hit or fluff the sack to redistribute the lumpy stuffing and make it more comfortable to sleep on. Over time, the physical preparation of the bed became a popular slang term for the act of going to sleep.

Examples
Casual Conversation

I am so exhausted after that long hike; I think I am going to hit the sack early tonight.

Workplace Email

Thanks for the late-night updates, team. I am going to hit the sack now, but I will review the remaining client feedback first thing in the morning.

News/Media

In interviews, the Olympic athlete revealed that her rigorous training schedule requires her to hit the sack by 9:00 PM every single night without exception.

Formal Speech

While our ancestors might have had to hit the sack in the literal sense of fluffing a straw mattress, modern professionals use the phrase to emphasize the boundary between a grueling workday and essential rest.

Academic Writing

Sociolinguistic studies indicate that informal expressions like 'hit the sack' are frequently used by native English speakers to signal a transition from shared social activity to private resting hours.

Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?

A. The angry customer decided to hit the sack of flour against the counter to demand a full refund from the grocery manager.

B. It is already past midnight and we have a very important presentation tomorrow morning, so we should probably hit the sack.

C. He managed to hit the sack of his professional goals by working hard and earning a promotion within six months.

D. Please remember to hit the sack before you leave the office so that the security team knows the building is completely empty.