asleep at the switch
3
8.7
- idiom
- Informal
:
desatento
- The manager realized he had been asleep at the switch when the project fell behind schedule due to his inattention.
In retrospect, have you been asleep at the switch here?
- In retrospect, have you been asleep at the switch here?
- You know, it's a consequence of of speculator greed, but also Washington not paying attention and regulators being asleep at the switch.
Examples
-
If one has not awakened to the fact that our world is a dangerous place after what happened on 9/11, then one must be asleep at the switch.
Blog text (14) -
Well, let's not fall asleep at the switch here.
-
Could it be our local media just was asleep at the switch and no one paid attention?
Blog text (29) -
This Congress has been asleep at the switch.
Blog text (15) -
Let me start by saying that this country is asleep at the switch when it comes to the growing drug menace coming in from Europe.
-
We are not going to have FEMA fall asleep at the switch as it did in New Orleans.
Blog text (21) -
But the entire Republican Party is asleep at the switch (as usual).
Blog text (15) -
The war against radical Islam is happening on many fronts, but in most of these fronts, we are asleep at the switch.
Blog text (18) -
Most people I've talked to who live on SS find absolutely nothing wrong with lowering future generations' standard of living to compensate for falling asleep at the switch.
Blog text (24) -
It might be worth noting that the Feds were asleep at the switch for a good chunk of Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil disaster, when most of the long-term damage was done.
Blog text (20)
Synonyms
32
4.5
Thinking so much about something that you do not notice what is happening around you
5
5.3
Does not notice what is happening or small details
2
5.9
A person who often does not pay attention and forgets small things like keys
1
5.8
Likely to lose attention when other things happen
Not paying attention to someone or something
Not paying attention to what is happening or being said
Antonyms
How Attentive
61
3.0
82
2.8
5
5.3
2
5.9
- Informal
3
8.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
asleep + at + the + switch
The word 'asleep' clearly signals lack of awareness and 'at the switch' can be interpreted as being at a point of control or responsibility, so a learner who knows the constituents could plausibly infer the general sense of failing to pay attention. However, the use of 'at the switch' as a metaphor for a critical control point is idiomatic and not fully predictable or cross-linguistically transparent, so the precise pragmatic meaning and usage nuances may still require prior exposure.
Etymology
Asleep at the switch comes from early train yards, where a worker had to watch a track switch that sends trains onto different lines and move it when needed; if he fell asleep the train could go the wrong way. That's why it means 'not paying attention when you should'.