sleeper

sleeper
sleeper (n.) early 13c., "one who sleeps, one who is inclined to sleep much," agent noun of SLEEP (Cf. sleep) (v.). Meaning "railroad sleeping car" is from 1875. Sense of "something whose importance proves to be greater than expected" first attested 1892, originally in American English. sports jargon, probably from earlier gambling slang (1856) sense of "unexpected winning card." Meaning "spy, enemy agent, etc. who remains undercover for a long time before attempting his purpose" first attested 1955, originally in reference to communist agents in the West.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Sleeper — Pays d’origine  Royaume Uni Genre musical Indie rock Britpop Années d activité …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Sleeper — puede hacer referencia a: El dormilón, película de Woody Allen, originalmente titulada Sleeper; o Sleeper, banda británica. Esta página de desambiguación cataloga artículos relacionados con el mismo título. Si llegaste aquí a través de …   Wikipedia Español

  • Sleeper — Sleeper,der:1.⇨Agent(1)–2.⇨Ermittler Sleeper 1.Agent,Geheimagent,Spion 2.Terrorist Sleeper:EinWort,mehrereBedeutungen:DerBegriffSleeper,vonenglischtosleep,alsoschlafen,bezeichnetnichtnurdenzurückklappbarenSchlafsitzimFlugzeug.Sleeperwarursprünglic… …   Das Wörterbuch der Synonyme

  • Sleeper — Sleep er, n. [Cf. Norw. sleip a sleeper (a timber), as adj., slippery, smooth. See {Slape}.] Something lying in a reclining posture or position. Specifically: [1913 Webster] (a) One of the pieces of timber, stone, or iron, on or near the level of …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Sleeper — war eine britische Independentband, die in den 1990ern aktiv war und diverse Hits in Großbritannien landete. Louise Wener war die Sängerin der Band. Sie nahmen drei Studioalben auf: Smart, The It Girl und Pleased to Meet You. Ihr… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • sleeper — [slē′pər] n. [ME slepere < OE slæpere] 1. a person or animal that sleeps, esp. as specified [a sound sleeper] 2. a timber or beam laid horizontally, as on the ground, to support something above it 3. Chiefly Brit. a tie supporting a railroad… …   English World dictionary

  • Sleeper — Sleep er, n. 1. One who sleeps; a slumberer; hence, a drone, or lazy person. [1913 Webster] 2. That which lies dormant, as a law. [Obs.] Bacon. [1913 Webster] 3. A sleeping car. [Colloq. U.S.] [1913 Webster] 4. (Zo[ o]l.) An animal that… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sleeper — (informal) A letter that is lodged in the back of a case instead of lying flat in the pigeonhole or bin …   Glossary of postal terms

  • sleeper — ► NOUN 1) a sleeping car or a train carrying sleeping cars. 2) a film, book, play, etc. that suddenly achieves success after initially attracting little attention. 3) Brit. a ring or bar worn in a pierced ear to keep the hole from closing. 4)… …   English terms dictionary

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