Word Family Worksheets

✔ In the land of the living

Starting with the morning, if you say that someone is in the land of the living, you mean that they are awake. This is a humorous phrase, sometimes used of someone who has finally woken up after a lie-in (= a British expression for the time when someone has stayed in bed in the morning later than usual)

In the US and the UK, this is called (sleeping in). 

● I was hoping to speak to Klara. Is she in the land of the living, do you know? 

✔ Put someone's feet up

Later in the day, after a period of work, someone may decide to put their feet up, (= to sit down and relax, sometimes with their feet raised off the ground): 

- It’s been a long day. I’m gonna go home and put my feet up. 

✔ Hit the sack/the hay

In the evening, someone who is about to go to bed may use the informal phrases hit the sack/the hay.

● I’ve got to get up early tomorrow so I’m going to hit the sack. 

✔ Turn in for the night

They may also announce that they are turning in for the evening/night: 

● I’m quite tired. I think I’m going to turn in for the night. 

✔ Sleep like a log/top/baby 

If someone sleeps like a log/top/baby, they sleep well, not waking at all for a long period: 

● I slept like a log last night – I didn’t even hear the rain. 

✔ Out for the count/dead to the world

Someone who is out for the count or dead to the world is sleeping heavily and not likely to wake soon: 

● It looks like Tom’s out for the count. 

● By the time I came to bed, you were dead to the world. 

✔ Go out like a light

If someone goes out like a light, they start to sleep immediately:

● As soon as my head hit the pillow, I went out like a light. 

✔ Not to sleep a wink

Sadly, we don’t always sleep well, and there are idioms for this too. Someone who doesn’t sleep a wink, doesn’t sleep at all: 

● I didn’t sleep a wink last night with all the noise next door. 

✔ Toss and turn

If they sleep badly, moving around a lot in bed because they are worried about something, they may say that they toss and turn: 

● I was tossing and turning all night, worrying about the interview.