What it means
A kip is a quick sleep or a proper snooze, usually unplanned, like you’ve slumped on the sofa after work. Saying you’re having a kip just means grabbing some shut-eye, not moving house. It’s an older British bit of slang, linked to the idea of a cheap lodging place, and it’s still used everywhere.
Usage examples
"I’m gonna have a kip on the sofa, yeah. Wake me at eight or I’ll miss pre-drinks and end up rocking yesterday’s jeans again."
"I am shattered, I am going to have a quick kip before dinner."
"You can kip on the sofa if you miss the last train."
Where it comes from
Kip came into British and Irish slang from a Danish word, kippe, for a cheap lodging house or hovel. First it meant the seedy bed or doss-house itself, then by extension the sleep you got there. Now a kip is simply a sleep or a nap, and to kip down is to bed down anywhere for the night, on a sofa, a floor or a mate's spare room.
Other ways to say it
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