How do you use "Hit the hay" in a sentence?

It's late—time to hit the hay. I'm going to hit the hay early tonight. Let's hit the hay and get an early start.

Hit the hay

Q: What does "Hit the hay" mean?

Go to bed. To go to sleep for the night. The 'hay' refers to old straw-filled mattresses, similar to 'hit the sack.'

Slang Term AmericanBritishAustralian ★★★★☆ Common Casual

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Meaning: Go to bed.

去睡觉。

Irse a dormir.

寝床につく。

잠자리에 들다.

To go to sleep for the night. The 'hay' refers to old straw-filled mattresses, similar to 'hit the sack.'

晚上去睡觉。'hay'（干草）指的是旧时填充干草的床垫，与'hit the sack'有相似的由来。

Irse a dormir por la noche. 'Hay' (heno) se refiere a los antiguos colchones rellenos de paja, similar a 'hit the sack'.

夜、眠りにつくこと。「hay（干し草）」は昔の藁を詰めたマットレスを指し、「hit the sack」と似た由来を持つ。

밤에 잠자리에 드는 것을 뜻한다. 'hay'는 옛날 짚으로 채운 매트리스를 가리키며, 'hit the sack'과 비슷한 표현이다.

Literal meaning: Get into a bed stuffed with hay

Examples

It's late—time to hit the hay.
很晚了，该睡觉了
Es tarde, hora de irse a dormir
遅くなった、寝る時間だ
늦었다—이제 잘 시간이야.
I'm going to hit the hay early tonight.
今晚我要早点睡
Esta noche me voy a acostar temprano
今夜は早めに寝るよ
오늘 밤은 일찍 자려고.
Let's hit the hay and get an early start.
睡吧，明天早点出发
Vamos a dormir y madrugar
寝て、明日早く出発しよう
자고 내일 일찍 출발하자.

Pronunciation

/hɪt ðə heɪ/

Usage Guide

Context: going to bed, nighttime, tiredness

Tone: casual, friendly

✓ Do Say

Time to hit the hay.
该睡了
Hora de irse a dormir
寝る時間だ
이제 잘 시간이야.
Going to hit the hay.
准备去睡了
Voy a acostarme
寝るところだ
자러 갈 거야.
Let's hit the hay.
睡吧
Vamos a dormir
寝よう
이제 자자.

✗ Don't Say

Go to bed
Go to bed（直接说'去睡觉'）
Go to bed（Decir simplemente 'ir a la cama'）
Go to bed（普通に「寝る」と言う）
잠자리에 들다
Go to sleep
Go to sleep（直接说'去睡觉'）
Go to sleep（Decir simplemente 'ir a dormir'）
Go to sleep（普通に「眠る」と言う）
자러 가다

Common Mistakes

Identical meaning to 'hit the sack'
Slightly more rural connotation

Origin & History

From old mattresses filled with hay or straw.

Etymology: American slang

First recorded: Early 20th century

Cultural Context

Era: Modern (early 20th century)

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: American movies; Common expression

Regional notes: American origin, now universal.

Variations

Hit the hayHitting the hayTime to hit the hay