in the arms of Morpheus

in the arms of Morpheus
   asleep
   A euphemism only when used of someone who should have kept awake:
    At this hour when it is very hot he is usually to be found 'in the arms of Morpheus' which means, I understand, that he is sleeping. (Farrell, 1973)
   Morpheus, the god of dreams, was the son of Hypnos, the god of sleep. Those unversed in Greek mythology are likely euphemistically to confuse the two deities.

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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  • in the arms of morpheus — phrasal Usage: usually capitalized M : asleep * * * in the arms of Morpheus literary phrase sleeping Thesaurus: asleep and unconscioussynonym Main entry …   Useful english dictionary

  • in the arms of Morpheus — held in the arms of the god of sleep; sleeping, asleep …   English contemporary dictionary

  • in the arms of Morpheus — literary sleeping …   English dictionary

  • in the arms of Morpheus — idi asleep …   From formal English to slang

  • Morpheus — Morphean, adj. /mawr fee euhs, fyoohs/, n. 1. Class. Myth. a son of Hypnos and the god of dreams. 2. in the arms of Morpheus, asleep. [1325 75; ME < L < Gk morph(é) form + L eus n. suffix; coined by Ovid, with allusion to the forms seen in… …   Universalium

  • Morpheus — /ˈmɔfiəs/ (say mawfeeuhs) noun 1. Greek Mythology a minor deity, son of the god of sleep; the god of dreams. –phrase 2. in the arms of Morpheus, asleep. {Middle English, from Latin, from Greek morphē form, in allusion to the forms seen in dreams} …  

  • Morpheus — Mor|phe|us [ mɔrfiəs, mɔr,fjus ] noun LITERARY the ancient Greek god of dreams and sleep in the arms of Morpheus LITERARY sleeping …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Morpheus — UK [ˈmɔː(r)fjuːs] / US [ˈmɔrfɪəs] / US [ˈmɔrˌfjus] noun literary the ancient Greek god of dreams and sleep • in the arms of Morpheus …   English dictionary

  • Morpheus — Mor|phe|us [ˈmo:fiəs, fju:s US ˈmo:r ] n in the arms of Morpheus literary asleep …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Morpheus — noun in the arms of Morpheus literary asleep …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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