Fall asleep on a clothes line

Posted by James Briggs on January 04, 2006

In Reply to: Fall asleep on a clothes line posted by Jan Hicks on January 04, 2006

: 'I could fall asleep on a clothes line' or 'I could go to sleep on a clother line' is a phrase that I have used and I do, I think, sort of know the origin. Many years ago in hostels or places for the homeless one could lean on a clothes line to sleep?

: What is the exact phrase as I can't find it anywhere and is this more or less the correct origin.

I beleive that it just implies that someone is so tired that they could fall asleep anywhere, even a place as unstable and uncomfortable as a clothes line. The saying was certainly in established UK use when I was a boy - 60+ years ago!

• Fall asleep on a clothes line Brian from Shawnee 04/January/06
  • Fall asleep on a clothes line David FG 05/January/06