the lights are on but nobody's home
- idiom
- Offensive
:
estar despistado
- When he gave that blank look during the meeting, I thought the lights are on but nobody's home.
Examples
-
I think the lights are on but nobody's home!
-
When he stared at the wall, I thought, the lights are on but nobody's home.
-
After I asked the question, it seemed the lights are on but nobody's home.
-
She was staring at the board, but the lights are on but nobody's home.
-
When she stared blankly at her computer screen, it was clear the lights are on but nobody's home.
-
During the lecture, many students looked attentive, but the lights are on but nobody's home for some of them.
-
I tried to get his attention, but his expression said the lights are on but nobody's home.
Synonyms
19
4.0
Not paying attention because your mind is somewhere else
10
4.9
Not answering or showing interest when someone asks
6
8.4
Moving slowly and not fully aware because you are very tired
3
6.2
Not reacting to a question or an action
3
8.7
When you should be paying attention, you miss important things
2
5.9
A person who often does not pay attention and forgets small things like keys
Antonyms
How Alert
61
3.0
- Offensive
2
5.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
the + light + be + on + but + nobody's + home
The expression uses a figurative scene (lights on in an empty house) to describe a person's mental state, and that metaphorical mapping to 'mentally absent or unresponsive' is not directly derivable from the literal meanings of the constituents. This pragmatic, culture-specific usage is unpredictable for a B1 learner who only knows the component words, so it should be treated as opaque.
Etymology
The lights are on but nobody's home uses the simple image of a house where the lights are on but nobody's home, so it looks active but is empty. That's why we say this about a person who seems there but is 'not mentally engaged'.