sleeping beauty
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun 1. A person who is sleeping soundly: Refers to someone who is in a deep, peaceful sleep. 2. A potential takeover target that has not yet been put in play: In finance and business, a company that is attractive for acquisition but is not currently the subject of active takeover bids or discussions. 3. Fairy story: princess under an evil spell who could be awakened only by a prince's kiss: The title character from a classic European fairy tale, a princess cursed to sleep until awakened by true love's kiss.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Person sleeping):
- Don't wake the sleeping beauty on the couch; she had a long night.
- After the hike, he was a sleeping beauty for ten hours straight.
- Noun (Business term):
- The tech startup, with its valuable patents, is considered a sleeping beauty by many investment firms.
- Analysts identified the company as a sleeping beauty due to its strong assets and undervalued stock.
- Noun (Fairy tale character):
- The story of Sleeping Beauty has been adapted into many films and ballets.
- In the tale, the princess is known as Sleeping Beauty after she pricks her finger on a spindle.
Advanced Usage
- Metaphorical Use: The term can be used metaphorically to describe anything with great potential that is currently dormant or unrecognized.
- That abandoned neighborhood is the city's sleeping beauty, waiting for the right developer to see its charm.
Variants and Related Words
- Sleeping (adjective/noun): The state of rest characterized by suspended consciousness.
- Beauty (noun): A combination of qualities that pleases the aesthetic senses.
- Sleeping Beauty Syndrome (noun, informal): A colloquial, non-medical term sometimes used to refer to Kleine-Levin Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive sleep.
Synonyms
- For a person sleeping soundly: sound sleeper, deep sleeper.
- For a takeover target: undiscovered gem, undervalued asset, potential acquisition target.
- For the fairy tale character: Briar Rose (her name in some versions of the story).
Related Idioms
- Awaken a sleeping beauty: To bring something dormant or overlooked to its full potential or into active notice.
- The new CEO's strategy was to awaken the sleeping beauty that was the company's research division.
Noun
- a potential takeover target that has not yet been put in play
- a person who is sleeping soundly
- fairy story: princess under an evil spell who could be awakened only by a prince's kiss