What it means
Forty winks means a quick little nap, the sort you grab in an armchair, on the sofa, or on the train when your batteries are doing a sad little flicker. Nobody means exactly forty. It just paints a cosy, old-school picture of a brief bit of shut-eye that takes the sting out of being knackered without turning into a full sleep.
Usage examples
"Let me catch forty winks and I will be good to drive again."
"Granddad has his forty winks in the armchair every Sunday before the football even kicks off."
"I'll just grab forty winks on the train, give us a nudge when we're near the station."
"Grandad always has forty winks in his chair after Sunday dinner."
"I'm shattered, gonna have forty winks before we head out tonight."
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Where it comes from
The phrase is well established in English by the mid 19th century. In older usage, wink could mean a moment of sleep or shut-eye, not just a blink or a cheeky signal. The forty was never exact, just a comfy stock number, so forty winks settled into meaning a short nap rather than a proper long kip.
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