asleep at the switch

English

Etymology

Probably an allusion to the important responsibilities of a railway switchman.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

asleep at the switch

1. (idiomatic) Neglectful of an important task, responsibility, or opportunity.
   • 1909, Clinton Rogers Woodruff, “Municipal Review 1907-1908,”, in The American Journal of Sociology, volume 14, number 4, page 488:

     His vote demonstrates that the people of Philadelphia are not asleep at the switch, are not indifferent to their political duties.

   • 1922, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 10, in Right Ho, Jeeves:

     My guardian angel had not been asleep at the switch.

   • 1974, S. D. Isard, "Review of Computer Models of Thought and Language," Science, New Series, vol. 186, no. 4164 (15 Nov.), p. 625:

     It is sometimes difficult to guess whether a sentence has been garbled by the author or the typesetter. . . . In either case, the editors were asleep at the switch.

   • 2003, Donald Bartlett and James Steele, "Asleep at the Switch," Time, 13 Oct.:

     Why America (but not Canada) failed to set up a needed synfuels industry.

References

• "asleep at the switch" in the Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.