Modul 4: Idiom 05: Hit the hay

“Hit the hay” or “Hit the sack” means go to bed.

So, when you feel tired, you can say, “I have to get up early for work tomorrow, so I think I’d better hit the hay – or, I’d better hit the sack.”

But, what iss the origin of this phrase? Where does this phrase come from?

Well, before modern beds and mattresses, people slept on sacks stuffed with straw or hay. You can see some sacks in this picture here. Now, sacks were stuffed with hay to make them soft. You can see hay in this picture. People stuffed the sacks with hay to make their sleep more comfortable.

Look at our illustration. This guy is going to bed. He’s hitting the sack … which is stuffed with hay. So, he’s hitting the hay. Look at his thought bubble. What is he thinking of? He’s thinking of sleeping. He’s hitting the hay. He’s going to bed.

Here are some more examples before we go to the concept questions:

• Imagine, you’re at a party, but it’s getting late. You tell your friends, ‘Sorry, guys, I have to go home and hit the hay pretty soon.’
• Or, your family is going on a trip tomorrow. It’s a bit late, so you tell the kids, “Let’s hit the hay. We have to get an early start in the morning.”
• By the way, I usually hit the hay after a night movie on Netflix.

Great. Let’s look at some situations and check your understanding …

1.
It’s New Year’s Eve. You’re invited to a cool party which you’re planning to attend – to go to. Will you hit the hay early that night? No, you won’t. People don’t hit the hay early on New Year’s Eve. They stay up late.

2.
You’ve been working long hours recently. You’re at home now, but it’s rather late. However, you’ll have a very important presentation tomorrow that you have to work on tonight. Can you hit the hay? Not yet. You’ll hit the hay after you’ve finished your presentation.

3.
Look at this cutie. Has she hit the hay? Yes, she has. She’s sleeping soundly. She’s in deep sleep.

4.
When people feel tired in the morning, many of them have a strong, black coffee. Soon, caffeine kicks in, and their eyes are shot open. When it happens, could these people hit the hay easily? No. When caffeine circultes in your body, you can hardly go back to sleep. You can’t hit the hay after a strong, black coffee.

5.
Imagine a jackhammer in your street which makes a lot of noise. You should have a sleep, but you’re a light sleeper – you’re not a good sleeper. What could help you to hit the hay? Well, you could use earplugs or listen to music to defuse the noise (to kill the noise), or you could take a sleeping pill, if you’re okay with pills

Great. Now go practice. See you soon.