sandman

8 9.8

An imaginary person who sprinkles sand in children's eyes to make them sleepy

noun
/ˈsændˌmæn/

Literature

: hombre de arena

Bye-bye, doll face and sandman!
Mr. Sandman
Mister Sandman
Enter Sandman

Examples

Uh, the sandman failed to pay his usual visit to me last night.

Rachel, Rachel (1968)
My daddy said he was the sandman and I almost believed him.

One and the Same (2021)
It's the Sandman, go back to sleep.

Hanna (2011)
I got you sand from the Sandman and gold from the rainbow.

Fiction book (1999)
You show that you have had sand thrown into your eyes by the sandman.

Blog text (16)
If so, do you think this is a fitting way to depict the Sandman?

Blog text (15)
When I have trouble sleeping, my mom tells me the story of the sandman who sprinkles magic dust to help children fall asleep.
The children whispered about the sandman who visits at night and brings sweet dreams.
Before bed, my dad always reminded me to say goodnight to the sandman so I could sleep peacefully.

Surface Forms

sandman singular

sandmen plural

Morphology

sandman = sand + man (semi-transparent) = sand + man

The components 'sand' + 'man' are clear, but the specific folkloric meaning (a mythical figure who sprinkles sand to induce sleep) is culturally specific and not fully predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Sandman comes from two parts, sand and man, and from an old story about someone who sprinkles sand in children's eyes to make them feel sleepy. So a sandman is an imaginary being who visits at night to help children fall asleep and have pleasant dreams.