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sleep out

sleep out
 v. phr.— «On any given day, about 10% of my patients are awaiting the attention of social services, and during this time they remain at risk of picking up infections, going insane from sleep deprivation or being pierced through the heart by the evil eye of the bed-management team. However, the only place they can go is to empty beds in surgical wards, in a process known as “sleeping out.”» —“Nurses can’t walk away” by Karen Moffat Guardian (United Kingdom) Apr. 28, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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