[Ads-l] Not something to lose sleep over, but...

[Laurence Horn]

I just received this inquiry: 

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I'm a journalist writing a short piece on topics/concerns that people say
"keeps them up at night," and was wondering if anyone had insight on the
phrase's etymology or evolution of usage. Also, I'd be curious to learn
more about the phrase "lose sleep over," which I believe (but am not sure)
comes from "Lion doesn't lose sleep over opinion of sheep."
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I haven't looked into these matters but my initial reaction is that no lions or sheep are involved (unless it's the sheep that one counts to surmount the problem).  Isn't it just that if you're worried about something, that might prevent you from falling asleep?  Does anyone know?  Am I right in assuming there's less here than meets the eye?

LH
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