wake up and smell the coffee

Meaning

Verb

• Often in the infinitive or imperative: to face reality and stop deluding oneself.

Origin

• Probably a humorous elaboration of wake up, alluding to the fact that coffee is often consumed at breakfast time after waking up in the morning. The term was popularized by the American writer Esther Pauline “Eppie” Lederer (1918–2002), who used the pen name Ann Landers, in the syndicated newspaper advice column Ask Ann Landers.