Forty winks
<p>Take a short nap usually in the daytime; dates from the early 19th century but why forty winks? No special reason except that forty has frequently been used to indicate large, indeterminate numbers. On 16 November 1872, Punch magazine remarked on the 39 articles of faith of the Church of England, which are quite lengthy. “After reading through the Thirty-nine Articles [it would be understandable if a man] were to take forty winks.” Amusing as this may be, it is not the origin of the expression.</p>