drift off into never-never land - meaning

[JACEK1]

Hello everybody!

Well, who ever thought it could happen? But, last week in the wee hours of the morning, before my second run I woke up a 2am. I tried and tried, but I just couldn’t get back to sleep. Of course when I finally started to drift off into never-never land after trying everything, it was already 5am!

In my opinion, the bolded fragment "drift off into never-never land" in the sentence above means "fall asleep" or "go to sleep" or "get to sleep".

What else could it mean?

Do you agree?

Thank you.

 

[Rover_KE]

Source and author?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

You haven't looked it up, have you? If you do, you'll discover that it's from one of the most widely-read books in the English-speaking world.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm not sure if that was directed at Rover, Charlie, but we're not in the habit of spending extra time looking up users' quotes for them. We make it clear that they must cite the source and author of any quote in post #1. Our responses asking them for that information are supposed to serve as a reminder of that, in the hope that eventually they will just remember to do it.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I'm not sure if that was directed at Rover, Charlie, but we're not in the habit of spending extra time looking up users' quotes for them. We make it clear that they must cite the source and author of any quote in post #1. Our responses asking them for that information are supposed to serve as a reminder of that, in the hope that eventually they will just remember to do it.

Of course not! It was a gentle suggestion to Jacek to dig a little before coming here. It would never occur to me that Rover wouldn't know what Never Never Land is.

Sorry, Rover, no disrespect intended!

I do look them up myself sometimes just for fun, but I don't think I've been spilling the beans to anyone.

 

[JACEK1]

Sorry for the delay.

http://101marathoners.com/2011/04/running-in-my-sleep/

As I wrote before, I think "drift off into never-never land" in the sentence above means "fall asleep" or "go to sleep" or "get to sleep".

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Thanks! Now, have you looked up Never Never Land yet? Does your sentence make sense?

 

[emsr2d2]

What is this current obsession with posting links and expecting us to click on them, instead of just actually typing the name of the author and the title of the piece into a response (or preferably giving it in post #1)? Jacek, please just tell us the information.

 

[SoothingDave]

You haven't looked it up, have you? If you do, you'll discover that it's from one of the most widely-read books in the English-speaking world.

And a Metallica song!

 

[JACEK1]

Yes, I have looked up Never Never Land, but its literal meaning makes no sense when we take the context into account.

Well, who ever thought it could happen? But, last week in the wee hours of the morning, before my second run I woke up a 2am. I tried and tried, but I just couldn’t get back to sleep. Of course when I finally started to drift off into never-never land after trying everything, it was already 5am!

In my opinion, the bolded fragment "drift off into never-never land" in the sentence above means "fall asleep" or "go to sleep" or "get to sleep".

 

[Tarheel]

Yes, I have looked up Never Never Land, but its literal meaning makes no sense when we take the context into account.

Well, who ever thought it could happen? But, last week in the wee hours of the morning, before my second run I woke up a 2am. I tried and tried, but I just couldn’t get back to sleep. Of course when I finally started to drift off into never-never land after trying everything, it was already 5am!

In my opinion, the bolded fragment "drift off into never-never land" in the sentence above means "fall asleep" or "go to sleep" or "get to sleep".

In that context, there is no other possible conclusion.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Yes, I have looked up Never Never Land, but its literal meaning makes no sense when we take the context into account. . . .

It's not literal. It's figurative.

In my opinion, the bolded fragment "drift off into never-never land" in the sentence above means "fall asleep" or "go to sleep" or "get to sleep".

Yes. You had it right to begin with. I'm surprised that looking up the expression didn't confirm that for you. Sorry!

Polish might have expressions like Dreamland and Slumberland. This is the same thing.