Neil is shopping for a new bed but when he tells Feifei he'll 'sleep on it' she seems surprised. Find out how sleeping on something doesn't just mean lying on a bed!
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript
Feifei
Hello, welcome to The English We Speak, I'm Feifei ...
Neil
... and I'm Neil. Hello. We're out shopping today, aren't we, Feifei?
Feifei
Yes, Neil needs to buy a new bed—his old bed has broken. So Neil, look at all these beds—there are so many to choose from but which one do you want to buy?
Neil
Well, that one there is massive but it wouldn't fit through my front door!
Feifei
Hmm, that one there is quite cheap but ... it doesn't look very well made.
Neil
Hey look at this one ... a water bed! Listen to the sound it makes!
Feifei
Oh, there are too many beds to choose from!
Neil
Well, Feifei, I'll have to sleep on it!
Feifei
Neil! You can't sleep on that water bed—you haven't bought it yet—and anyway, you haven't brought your pyjamas!
Neil
Relax Feifei—I'm not going to sleep here in the shop—that would be embarrassing! When someone says they're going to sleep on it, they mean they're going to spend some time thinking about something before making a final decision.
Feifei
Phew! So you make your final decision later—not now?
Neil
That's right! So I'm going to think about which is the best bed to buy and come back in the morning, OK? Let's hear some other examples of the phrase 'to sleep on it' ...
Examples
We couldn't decide which car to buy so we decided to sleep on it—we didn't want to buy the wrong one!
Thanks for your job offer but I need some time to think about it. Let me sleep on it and I'll give you an answer tomorrow.
He told me he'd have to sleep on it before he could agree to my request for a pay rise.
Feifei
To sleep on it ... hmm ... but why 'sleep' Neil?
Neil
Because usually you think about your decision overnight—you literally go to sleep before waking up the next day and deciding what to do, when you've had more rest.
Feifei
It sounds like a good idea but hold on Neil ...
Neil
What's wrong?
Feifei
You can't 'sleep on it' overnight because you haven't got a bed to sleep on!
Neil
Well, let's not lose sleep over it—you've got a spare bed haven't you?
Feifei
What?!
Neil
It's another idiom Feifei but I'll explain it another time. Come on let's go.
Both
Bye.