Idiom: of a short sleep

[Kelly]

English Idioms and Expressions, Elementary Level

ESL/EFL Test #10 "Funny Idioms", question 8

And when I reached his office I saw he was not really awake because he'd been having a cat nap.

(a) a deep sleep
(b) a long sleep
(c) a short sleep
(d) a big sleep

English Idioms and Expressions, Elementary Level

ESL/EFL Test #10 "Funny Idioms", answer 8

And when I reached his office I saw he was not really awake because he'd been having a short sleep.

Correct answer: (c) a short sleep
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Hi Alan
Please also enlighten me with the idiom of a short sleep (a cat nap)

Thanks

Kelly

[Alan]

Hi Kelly,

This means that you only sleep for a few minutes - you take a very short break.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story A Rhapsody of Words

[Conchita]

[maize]

What does "zed" mean?

maize

[Alan]

Hi Maize,

You have probably seen drawings of someone in comics and cartoons with a series of letters written z z z z coming out of their nose to indicate they are sleeping. If you write the letter 'z' as a word, it becomes 'zed' and so the expression having/taking a few zeds means having/taking a short sleep.

Alan
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English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story French or English?

[Tiberiu]

I think that the correct expression is "catching some Zee's" or something like that... but nod zeds...

[Yankee]

Hi Tiberiu

"Catching some zees" would be the American version.

In American English, the letter "Z" is pronounced as if it were spelled "zee".
In British English, the letter "Z" is pronounced as if it were spelled "zed".
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