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Glite Dictionary
look at the mantelpiece when poking the fire

look at the mantelpiece when poking the fire

9.9
To pay attention to something unimportant instead of the main task
  • idiom
translation icon : distraerse
  • She tends to look at the mantelpiece when poking the fire whenever she tries to study.

Examples

  • Instead of solving the problem, he kept looking at the mantelpiece when poking the fire.

  • If you want to finish this work quickly, don't look at the mantelpiece when poking the fire.

  • Don't look at the mantelpiece when poking the fire!

  • He always looks at the mantelpiece when poking the fire instead of focusing.

  • If you want to finish your project on time, try not to look at the mantelpiece when poking the fire.

  • She always seems to look at the mantelpiece when poking the fire instead of completing her homework.

  • To improve your focus, avoid looking at the mantelpiece when poking the fire during your tasks.

Synonyms

to distract
vslook at the mantelpiece when poking the fire
513 2.1

To make someone stop paying attention to what they are doing or thinking about

is a self-shift of attention toward irrelevant objects instead of the main task
to distract from
vslook at the mantelpiece when poking the fire
82 3.3

To make someone stop paying attention to something by showing something else

is self-directed, moving focus to irrelevant things instead
to take your eye off the ball
vslook at the mantelpiece when poking the fire
  • Informal
7 6.5

Stop paying attention to what is important

is about shifting to trivial things instead of losing focus in critical moments

Antonyms

to concentrate
561 3.4

To give all your attention to one thing

to stay on track
9 3.2

To focus on a goal without getting distracted

How Distracted

to sidetrack
30 4.6
look at the mantelpiece when poking the fire
9.9

Surface Forms

look at the mantelpiece when poking the fire main

Morphology

look + at + the + mantelpiece + when + poke + the + fire

The meaning is directly inferable from the literal combination of actions: someone 'looking at the mantelpiece' while 'poking the fire' describes focusing on an irrelevant object instead of the main task. The components are used compositionally (look + at + mantelpiece; poke + the + fire) and follow ordinary English event-description patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the words would grasp the intended idea of distraction. This logic is also cross-linguistically transparent (looking away from the task to an irrelevant object expresses distraction in many languages).

Etymology

Look at the mantelpiece when poking the fire paints a simple image: while you are poking the fire to keep it burning, you keep looking at the mantelpiece with its pictures and small objects instead of finishing the task. That's why it means 'to distract yourself by focusing on something irrelevant'.