Origin of 'hit the sack'?

Question

I know it means to go to sleep but where did it originate from. I'm looking for first use. Just curious.

Ted Ballou · Answer 1 · 2010-11-22 16:24:20Z

up vote 6 down vote

Mattresses used to be stuffed full of hay, or were sacks full of hay. Thats why we say "hit the hay" or "hit the sack."

answered Nov 22 '10 at 16:24

Ted Ballou
35826

Source to backup my answer: phrases.org.uk/meanings/182700.html – Ted Ballou Nov 22 '10 at 16:27

Joshua Karstendick · Answer 2 · 2010-11-22 16:25:24Z

up vote 3 down vote

In the entry for sack on the Online Etymology Dictionary:

Slang meaning "bunk, bed" is from 1825, originally nautical. The verb meaning "go to bed" is recorded from 1946.

answered Nov 22 '10 at 16:25

Joshua Karstendick
3,69411122

Hugo · Answer 3 · 2013-01-09 21:34:09Z

The OED has it from 1943 in James J. Fahey's Pacific War Diary, 1942-1945:

I hit the sack at 8 P.M. I slept under the stars on a steel ammunition box two feet wide.

It's in the same entry as the earlier hit the hay, from 1912 in Dialect Notes:

Hit the hay, to go to bed.

3 Answers