The Jetsons
1
7.6
- proper noun
- US
- It reminded me of something out of the Jetsons.
Examples
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How the Jetsons envisioned life in 2062, and where we are in 2012.
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How much of The Jetsons' futuristic world has become a reality?
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In honor of The Jetsons' 50th anniversary, we decided to take a look to see how far we've come.
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When people describe new technology today, they often compare it to The Jetsons to highlight its futuristic features.
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With advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence, our homes are starting to resemble those in The Jetsons.
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The new transportation system is so advanced that it feels like it belongs in The Jetsons.
How Futuristic
Surface Forms
Morphology
the + Jetsons
This is a proper name referring to a specific animated TV family, so its meaning as shorthand for a futuristic, high-technology lifestyle depends on cultural/world knowledge of the show rather than compositional inference from the parts. Even if a learner knows 'jet' or the definite article 'the', they cannot reliably derive the idiomatic association with a high-tech future, so the expression is opaque to B1 learners.
Etymology
The Jetsons is now used to describe anything that seems very high-tech because the show showed clear images of gadgets, flying cars and robot helpers. So when people say something is 'like The Jetsons' they mean it looks very futuristic.