Have you ever thought about the origin of the phrase "sleep tight"?
We heard one theory of the origin while we were visiting Buckland Abbey.
The National Trust volunteer that was working in one of the bedrooms of Buckland Abbey was telling us about the bed in that room. She said that it was made of three mattresses, with the top mattress being a feather one. The bed frame was made of wood, and ropes were used across the bottom to hold the mattresses. The ropes were tied to the frame, and with use, the ropes would gradually get loose and have to be retied. So the phrase "sleep tight" was used to wish the occupants a good sleep with the ropes staying tight.
When I googled "sleep tight" I found out that it was probably just a story, but a well-circulated one (in the U.S., too). I think it makes a very good story, so I want to believe it!
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4 comments:
What if there's a pea on the bottom mattress?!?
What about the phrase about the bed bugs? (And this is off-topic, but I keep hearing Kerry Cashion doing a radio commercial. It is a little disconcerting to hear his voice on my shower radio every morning!)
I read that since bed bugs can't fly, people needed to make sure that the covers did not touch the floor. Sometimes at night they would tie the corners of the covers if they were too long.
It was interesting where this saying originated. Enjoy your blogs.
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