beauty sleep

plural beauty sleeps · alternative beauty-sleep

1. idiomaticuncountableOriginally, 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.First known use early 19th c.

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

   1857, Charles Kingsley, “The Cruise of the Waterwitch”, in Two Years Ago, volume II, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 148

   2 more examples

   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; […]

   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

   At first he was quite peevish. "What's the idea," he said, "coming and spoiling a man's beauty-sleep? Get out."

   1915 November, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “The Mixer: I. He Meets a Shy Gentleman.”, in The Man with Two Left Feet and Other Stories, London: Methuen & Co. […], published 1922, →OCLC, page 67

2. humorousidiomaticuncountableExtra sleep; also (generally), any sleep; (countable) an instance of this; an extra nap.

   "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."

   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

   1 more example

   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.

   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

   Synonyms: beauty rest