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rude awakening

The shocking instance of learning the unpleasant or unwelcome truth about a situation. We had a rude awakening when the waiter brought us the bill and we saw how much we had spent on dinner and drinks.

See also: awaken, rude

awake(n) from

To rouse from something (often sleep). Today, I was awoken from my sleep by my neighbor's barking dog. Awake from your daydreams, class, it's time to talk about the periodic table.

a rude awakening

if you have a rude awakening, you have a severe shock when you discover the truth of a situation We had a rude awakening when we saw the amount of our phone bill. You've been so spoiled by your parents, you are in for a rude awakening when you start to look after yourself.

See also: awaken, rude