After a long day at work, most people want to go home, take a shower and go to bed. Even if you didn’t go to work, but maybe spent a healthy amount of time in the gym, going to sleep holds a certain allure. For most, the idiom “hit the sack” means exactly that, but if you have not heard of this before, we can help. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
The phrase hit the sack means to go to bed. When you hear someone say they want to hit the sack, it means they are tired, not feeling well, or just want to rest. The phrase hit the sack has been around for quite some time and has served as a quaint way to say go to bed. While it generally means that a person wants to go to sleep, it can also be used in a romantic manner. Telling a partner that you want to hit the sack can also imply that intimacy or sexual activity is desired.
The phrase hit the hay means the same thing as hit the sack. The main difference is who used the phrase when it first was created. Hitting the hay, sawing a log, and hitting the sack all mean heading to sleep.
Example Usage
“After a long day at work in the factory, all I want to do is hit the sack once I get home”.
“No one in their right mind wants to work all day, then go home and argue. Most just want to hit the sack after a good meal”.
“I am really tired, I have been working out all day and I think I am getting sick, I just want to hit the sack”.
“Let’s meet up another day Joe, I just finished cleaning the house and I think I am going to hit the sack”.
Origin
The phrase hit the sack can be traced back to the 1800s. During the 1800s, mattresses typically were crafted out of sacks that were filled with various materials. Lower-end mattresses were old sacks that were stuffed full of fresh hay or straw. Higher-end mattresses were filled with more luxury materials such as fabric pieces or even down feathers. Instead of saying “going to bed”, a person would state that they want to hit the sack. In the 1800s, this was actually quite literal, not just a turn of phrase. Though the phrase started in the United States, it quickly made its rounds all over the world as the use of mattresses spread.
Phrases Similar to Hit The Sack
- Hit the hay
- Lay down
- Go to sleep
- Turn in
- Saw a log
- Kip down
Phrases Opposite to Hit The Sack
- Rise and shine
- Up and at em’
- Get things started
- Arise
- Roll out
- Come to the light
What is the Correct Saying?
- The proper way to say the phrase is - hit the sack.
Ways People May Incorrectly Say Hit The Sack
Some ways that hit the sack is used incorrectly are:
- The best thing to do in the morning is to hit the sack before you start your day.
- I am pretty energized, which means it’s a good time to hit the sack.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Hit The Sack
Some ways that hit the sack is used correctly are:
- Little Timmy is not feeling well, I am going to take him home to hit the sack, maybe they can play again tomorrow.
- Do you want to go out tonight or do you just want to hit the sack?
- I think the best thing to do is to hit the sack instead of trying to stay away and finish out the shift.
- Going to that boring conference is not in the cards, I think it would be more fruitful if I just hit the sack and got a good night’s sleep.