bag night
n.— «Perhaps “bag nights” could use further clarification, since it’s a backpacker’s term that, even then, is subject to personal preferences. Henceforth (how’s that for sounding official?), here are my qualifications for claiming a “bag night:” You must sleep outdoors overnight. You could be in a tent, in a shelter that’s open to the air, or even just outside with no protection. For me, well, I count what I call “primitive car camping,” another of my personal definitions. To me, it means camping in any of the above situations, but you are near a car. So you have access to some sup-plies. Now a regular campground with shower and toilet facilities does not qualify, to me. Most importantly, there’s a sleeping bag involved. Oh yeah, and sleeping overnight in the Jeep en route to a location does not count.» —“Time to start accumulating ‘bag nights’ for 2007″ by Lisa Brainard Republican-Leader (Preston, Minnesota) Jan. 16, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A listener remembers her grandmother’s colorful comment when someone arrived late after getting lost: You went around your elbow to get to your thumb. Lots of similar sayings in English suggest roundabout routes or overcomplicated tasks, including...
When does late at night change to early in the morning? 2:30 a.m.? 3:00 a.m.? Another time? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “When Does Late Night Become Early Morn?” Listener Greg Johnson asked a question that...