shake awake

A sudden, violent awakening that occurs when one realizes that he or she has dozed off in public; usually, the venue is a lecture hall. The awakening is rarely soft and is frequently punctuated by a strong shake, wherein the victim will spasm limbs and then pretend as though he or she had been awake the entire time. For a few seconds afterward, the victim will have a hard time thinking clearly and will usually curse the recent violent awakening.

I fell asleep during Microelectronics. In my sleep, I remembered that my binder was precariously balanced on the edge of my desk and the one adjacent. I had the biggest shake awake ever when, in a torrent of irrational dream-thought, I determined that I had to save it from falling, even though there was no chance of that happening.

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