40 acres and a mule

1. Something given by the government. The phrase refers to a promise made during the Civil War by Union general William T. Sherman that freed slaves would receive 40 acres of land and a mule. However, after the war that land was given back to its original owners. I'm doing just fine on my own—I don't need 40 acres and a mule from Uncle Sam. A: "If only the government would helps the poorest members of society." B: "Right? 40 acres and a mule would be welcome these days." I don't need food stamps. The government can keep its 40 acres and a mule, as far as I'm concerned.

2. A promise or assurance that proves to be false. I think he's just tempting us with that offer, and it'll turn out to be 40 acres and a mule. We're getting Christmas bonuses this year? Right, along with 40 acres and a mule. Don't believe the boss if he says you'll get your own parking spot—that's like 40 acres and a mule at this point.

a fool at 40 is a fool forever

proverb Someone who reaches middle age and continues to act foolishly is unlikely to start acting more maturely. A: "He's way too old to be spending his money so frivolously." B: "I know. A fool at 40 is a fool forever." What did Uncle Al think would happen if he tried to hide his profits to avoid the taxes? Geez, a fool at 40 is a fool forever. Are you seriously getting divorced for the third time? I guess it's true what they say—a fool at 40 is a fool forever.

back forty

Sprawling, uncultivated acreage, as would be found on a farm. I often go to the back forty of my property when I need some quiet time to think. Did you see the land behind the house? The dogs would love to be able to run around the whole back forty. I think Dad's out in the back forty right now.

catch forty winks

To sleep for a short time; to take a nap. Dad's upstairs catching forty winks before dinner. With a newborn at home, the best I can do is catch forty winks when I can. We've got a pretty long layover before our next flight, so I'm going to try to catch forty winks at the gate.

fo-fo

slang A shortening of "forty four," referring to a .44 caliber handgun. Yo, hand me the fo-fo. I need to put a hole in this fool's head. Dude, you can't leave your fo-fo here, I'm on parole! How could you fire a fo-fo on my sister like that? She had nothing to do with any of this!

forty minutes of hell

In collegiate basketball, the entire duration (40 minutes) of a game played in a suffocating and aggressive manner against one's opponents. The phrase was reportedly coined by Nolan Richardson while coaching the Arkansas Razorbacks in the mid-1990s. Primarily heard in US. OK, everyone, go out there and give them forty minutes of hell—don't even give them a chance to breathe! Yikes, both teams look pretty lethargic out there. It's a far cry from the forty minutes of hell I thought we'd see. If they impose their will on us, it'll be forty minutes of hell. We cannot let that happen!

forty ways from Sunday

Thoroughly or completely; in every possible way; from every conceivable angle. Everyone had their money on the reigning champion, but he was beaten forty ways from Sunday by the newcomer. We researched the case forty ways from Sunday, but there didn't seem to be any way that we could win with the evidence at hand. You can plan this out forty ways from Sunday, but I doubt you're gonna say the magic words that get Mom and Dad to let you go to the concert.

forty ways to Sunday

Thoroughly or completely; in every possible way; from every conceivable angle. Everyone had their money on the reigning champion, but he was beaten forty ways to Sunday by the newcomer. We researched the case forty ways to Sunday, but there didn't seem to be any way that we could win with the evidence at hand. You can plan this out forty ways to Sunday, but I doubt you're gonna say the magic words that get Mom and Dad to let you go to the concert.

forty winks

A nap or a brief sleep. When you have a baby for the first time, you are suddenly forced to learn how to operate on only forty winks at a time. I'm going to go grab a quick forty winks before everyone starts arriving for the dinner party. I don't know how I'm so awake—I took the red-eye, and I only got about forty winks on the plane.

See also: forty, wink

forty-something

1. adjective Of an unspecified age in one's forties. He looks like he's in his 60s, but he's really just forty-something. Hold up, Jen's only 31, but her husband's forty-something? I had no idea they had such a big age difference. Maggie's forty-something, but she looks twenty-something! I guess that's what happens when you don't abuse your body with a partying phase.

2. noun A person who is in their forties. Usually used in the plural. I felt really out of place being so young at a party of forty-somethings. I know it's an entry-level position, and that kids right out of college will be given precedence over forty-somethings like me. I can't believe we're forty-somethings now. It feels like just yesterday we were in college together!

go two-forty

To move very quickly; to race. The phrase refers to a horse racing record of a mile completed in two minutes and 40 seconds. I need to start going two-forty through this paperwork if I want to have it done by the deadline. The boss should still be out in the lobby—go two-forty and get this file to her before she leaves! I'll never beat Mona, even if I go two-forty—she's the fastest girl in the class by far.

grab forty winks

To sleep for a short time; to take a nap. I grabbed forty winks before we left for dinner, so I might actually stay awake now! With a newborn at home, the best I can do is grab forty winks when I can. We've got a pretty long layover before our next flight, so I'm going to try to grab forty winks at the gate.

have forty winks

To sleep for a short time; to take a nap. I had forty winks before we left for dinner, so I might actually stay awake now! It sure is hard to have forty winks now with a newborn at home! We've got a pretty long layover before our next flight, so I'm going to try to have forty winks at the gate.

hit parade

Any listing or inventory of the best or most popular persons or things in a given category. Anthony's bookshelves are a veritable hit parade of classic literature. You'll have fun making your way through this list of movies—it's a hit parade of Oscar winners. This radio station is playing so many great songs! It's a hit parade from the summer of '73!

life begins at 40

cliché One has the skills, experience, and means by age 40 to truly enjoy life to its fullest. A: "I'm so depressed that I'm going to turn 40 next year." B: "Come on, Tom, life begins at 40. You've still got all sorts of adventures ahead of you!"

north forty

Forty acres on the northern section of a property. I think Pa's working up on the north forty—want me to take you over there?

take forty winks

To sleep for a short time; to take a nap. I took forty winks before we left for dinner, so I might actually stay awake now!

catch forty winks

and take forty winks; have forty winks

Fig. to take a nap; to get some sleep. I'll just catch forty winks before getting ready for the party. I think I'll go to bed and take forty winks. See you in the morning.

forty winks

Fig. a nap; some sleep. I could use forty winks before I have to get to work. I need forty winks before I get started again.

See also: forty, wink

Life begins at forty.

Prov. By the time you are forty years old, you have enough experience and skill to do what you want to do with your life. (Often said as an encouragement to those reaching middle age.) Alan: Why are you so depressed? Jane: Tomorrow's my fortieth birthday. Alan: Cheer up! Life begins at forty. For Pete, life began at forty, because by that time he had enough financial security to enjoy himself now and then, rather than having to work all the time.

forty winks

A brief nap, as in There's just time for forty winks before we have to leave. This expression supposedly was first recorded in 1828 and relies on wink in the sense of "sleep," a usage dating from the 14th century.

See also: forty, wink

hit parade

A listing of the most popular or best items or individuals of some kind, as in The library has a veritable hit parade of videos. This expression dates from the 1930s, when it was the name of a weekly radio show featuring the most popular songs as indicated by record sales.

forty winks

OLD-FASHIONED, INFORMAL

If you have forty winks, you have a short sleep. He always has forty winks after supper.

See also: forty, wink

forty winks

a short sleep or nap, especially during the day. informal

This expression dates from the early 19th century, but wink in the sense of ‘a closing of the eyes for sleep’ is found from the late 14th century.

See also: forty, wink

forty ˈwinks

(informal) a short sleep, especially during the day: I managed to get forty winks after lunch.

See also: forty, wink

fo-fo

n. a .44-caliber pistol. (see also deuce-deuce.) He traded up his deuce-deuce for a fo-fo.

forty winks

n. a nap; sleep. (Usually with a quantifier. Either forty or some, a few, a bunch of, etc.) I could use forty winks before I have to get to work.

See also: forty, wink

forty winks

A short nap. A wink has meant a sleep since the fourteenth century, when William Langland wrote “Thenne Wakede I of my wink” (Piers Ploughman, 1377). There is an apocryphal story about the origin of forty winks, stemming from an article in Punch (1872), the English humor magazine, about the long and tedious articles of faith required for Church of England clergy (“If a man, after reading through the thirty-nine Articles, were to take forty winks . . .”). However appealing this source, the term had appeared in print nearly a half-century earlier (in Pierce Egan’s Tom and Jerry, 1828), and its true origin has apparently been lost.

See also: forty, wink

hit parade

A listing of the most popular individuals or items of some kind, in order of rank. The term dates from the 1930s when it was the name of a weekly radio show playing the most popular songs as indicated by record sales. It was later extended to other circumstances, as in “That math professor is number one on the students’ hit parade.” A more recent locution is the Top 40, similarly rating songs on the basis of their sales.

Forty acres and a mule

A a government handout; a broken promise. As Union general William T. Sherman marched through Georgia and other parts of the confederacy during the Civil War, he promised freed slaves the gift of forty acres of South Carolina and Georgia farmland and an army mule with which to work the soil. Following the war, however, President Johnson rescinded Sherman's order, and the appropriated land was restored to its owners. While most citizens adopted the phrase as a metaphor for either any form of government handout (or a trifling salary or bonus from their employer), African-Americans who remembered the expression's history used it as a rueful reminder of a offer that was reneged upon.