Turn in
Posted by R. Berg on July 02, 2008 at 16:34
In Reply to: Turn in posted by Smokey Stover on July 02, 2008 at 03:16:
: : What is the origin of the phrase 'turn in'? As in..
: : 'I am tired so I am going to turn in'
: In the meaning of "go to bed," the Oxford English Dictionary describes this as a colloquial term of nautical origin. It appears to have been well-known in this sense in the 17th century, and from the 19th century the OED gives us this example:
: 1837 T. HOOK Jack Brag xiii, Jack 'turned in', as the sailors say.
: Perhaps someone can say why sailors used the term.
: SS
Because sailors' quarters were so cramped that there wasn't room to sit on a bunk before lying down? ~rb
- Turn in Victoria S Dennis 02/July/08