tubelight
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
tube + light. The "dim-witted person" sense arises from their flickering as well as the length of time it takes for one to light up completely after being switched on.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
tubelight (plural tubelights)
- (chiefly India, South Asia) A fluorescent lighting tube.
- 2021 April 4, “Here’s why Gwyneth Paltrow’s application of sunscreen in a recent video is highly misleading”, in The Indian Express[1]:
- "Sunscreens protect you from UVA/UVB rays which can be emitted from many sources of light such as the sun, your tubelight and devices," Dr Khan said, adding that using sunscreen once a day is the bare minimum you can do for your skin.
- (chiefly India, slang) a dim-witted person; someone who is slow to understand or reply.
- 2020 February 7, “Tubelight and other insults”, in Deccan Herald[2]:
- And Modiji, also being Snarkyji, described Rahulji as a tubelight because Rahulji had interjected only a good 40 minutes after Modiji had launched into his Parliamentary speech.
References edit
“tube light”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.