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"Tight" or "tightly" was a synonym for "well," "good," "properly," etc. in the 19th and early 20th centuries; "sleep tight" therefore simply means "sleep well."

The phrase didn't derive from the use of bed ropes on old beds, and is not a very old expression at all. The first known written use of "sleep tight" is from 1866 when Susan Bradford Eppes wrote in her diary, Through Some Eventful Years, "Goodbye little Diary. Sleep tight and wake bright, for I will need you when I return."

Also, "bedbugs bite" is simply an extended version of the original "sleep tight" bedtime message, the origin of which is currently unknown and which didn't start to be used until the middle of the 20th century.

According to Phrase Finder the myth that the phrase derives from the use of bedropes seems to have stemmed from an episode of the BBC program Antiques Roadshow during which an appraiser told a client the story, and it has been perpetuated; historical house curators have been fighting to correct it ever since.

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Q: What does sleep tight don't let the bed bugs bite means?
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What does the phrase sleep tight mean?

The phrase sleep tight means that an individual is affectionately hoping another person has a good sleep. It is often used in a rhyme such as "sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite".


Where's the origion of Sleep Tight don't let the bed bugs bite?

That crazy Lawrence Welk!


If you sleep with lights on will bed bugs bite you?

Yes. When they are hungry, they find ways to get to you, even with the lights on.


Should i sleep outside or in a bed full of bugs?

Sleep outside until the bed bug problem is fixed


What is the meaning of the idiom 'don't let the bedbugs bite'?

Because bedbugs hurt when they bite! You say "don't let the bedbugs bite" as part of a nightly ritual - the entire phrase is "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite." This phrase comes from the time when matresses rested on rope supports on the bed, and you slept better if the ropes were tight instead of sagging. Bedbugs are bugs that crawl around the house after dark looking for blood - they get into the bed and bite whoever is asleep, leaving painful and very itchy sores.


Do june bugs bite and if so what happens after they bite is there an after effect?

June bugs are not known to bite, they just swarm to light.


Do bed bugs come out in the day time?

YES. Though bed bugs prefer to come out only at night, to bite you in your bed while you sleep (generally in the small hours of the night), they WILL bite you at any time of day if they are hungry and you are around. If you are not sleeping in your bed, or have made it hard for them to bite you at night, then this is inevitable. They prefer to bite at nighttime, in the dark, but will bite in broad daylight if they have to.


Do native ladybugs bite?

no lady bugs can not bite


What do you put on the bed for bedbugs?

You cant put anything in your bed to prevent them. The trick is clean bedding, clean sheets. wash your sheets very often and that should prevent the pests :] hope this helped. And Remember... NIGHT NIGHT SLEEP TIGHT DONT LET THE BED BUGS BITE!! :D


Can baby bed bugs bite?

No. Because there are no such things as bed bugs unless they are referred to as lice, or you put bugs in the bed that bite.


Do lady bugs bit?

No they do not bite the red Lady bugs are harmless.


What bugs bite at night besides bed bugs?

Sometimes mosquitos