BBC Learning English

The English We Speak

28 May 2013

Haven't slept a wink

Neil:

(Yawning) Welcome to The English We Speak with me - a very tired Neil and Feifei.

Feifei:

(Yawning) Hi, I'm Feifei.

Neil:

Oh, Feifei, I'm so tired.

Feifei:

Me too. The kids?

Neil:

Ah, the kids kept me awake all night. As soon as one of them went back
to sleep, the other one started screaming. What's your excuse?

Feifei:

A mosquito.

Neil:

A mosquito?

Feifei:

Yes, there was a mosquito in my room. Every time I turned the light off
and tried to go to sleep I heard buzzing in my ear. I haven't slept a wink.

Neil:

And I haven't slept a wink either! A wink is when you close and open one
of your eyes very quickly once - usually to show friendliness or that you
are having a joke with someone. It's also a verb - to wink.

Feifei:

So, if you say 'I haven't slept a wink' it means that you've had so little
sleep, your eye didn't even close once!

Neil:

That's right. It's an exaggeration. Here are some examples:

Examples
A: You look terrible! What's the matter?
B: I haven't slept a wink. It was a really bad idea to move to a flat next to a pub.
A: How about a trip to the cinema tonight?
B: Sorry I can't. I haven't slept a wink. There were cats outside fighting all night.
Neil:

So, we can use 'I haven't slept a wink' to say that we are very tired
because we haven't had much sleep. (Yawns) I can't wait to get home
tonight and just jump into bed I don't know how I'm going to get
through the rest of this programme, let alone the rest of the day.

Feifei:

Me neither.

Neil:

Nice and quiet in here, though, isn't it?

Feifei:

And dark.

The English We Speak

British Broadcasting Corporation 2013

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bbclearningenglish.com

Neil:

Do you think anyone would notice if we just

Feifei:

That's a great idea! I'll just put these two chairs together.

Neil:

And I'll rest my head on this desk and (snoring).

(Sound of babies screaming and mosquitos buzzing)

Both:

Argh! Kids! Mosquitos! Is there anywhere to sleep? Argh!

The English We Speak

British Broadcasting Corporation 2013

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bbclearningenglish.com