asleep at the switch

SEE SYNONYMS FOR asleep at the switch ON THESAURUS.COM

Also, asleep at the wheel. Inattentive, not doing one's job, as in At the critical moment the watchman was asleep at the switch and only called the fire department when it was too late. This term came from 19th-century American railroading, when it was the trainman's duty to switch cars from one track to another by means of manually operated levers. Should he fail to do so, trains could collide. It was later transferred to any lack of alertness. The wheel in the variant is a steering wheel; similarly disastrous results are implied.

Words nearby asleep at the switch

ASL, ASLA, aslant, Aslaug, asleep, asleep at the switch, ASLEF, AS level, ASLIB, as likely as not, as-live

单词	asleep at the switch
释义	asleep at the switch SEE SYNONYMS FOR asleep at the switch ON THESAURUS.COM Also, asleep at the wheel. Inattentive, not doing one's job, as in At the critical moment the watchman was asleep at the switch and only called the fire department when it was too late. This term came from 19th-century American railroading, when it was the trainman's duty to switch cars from one track to another by means of manually operated levers. Should he fail to do so, trains could collide. It was later transferred to any lack of alertness. The wheel in the variant is a steering wheel; similarly disastrous results are implied. Words nearby asleep at the switch ASL, ASLA, aslant, Aslaug, asleep, asleep at the switch, ASLEF, AS level, ASLIB, as likely as not, as-live The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Words related to asleep at the switch inattentive, reckless, daydreaming, fast and loose, feckless, foolhardy, impetuous, imprudent, inadvertent, incautious, inconsiderate, neglectful, negligent, oblivious, precipitate, rash, slapdash, sloppy, thoughtless, uncaring
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asleep at the switch

Words nearby asleep at the switch

Words related to asleep at the switch