asleep at the switch

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

asleep at the switch

“Were the reporters asleep at the switch or did they knowingly engage in some sort of deal with the 49ers to not release it?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Americans tend to be asleep at the switch.

From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2023

How to say you’ve been totally asleep at the switch of your children’s life without saying it?

From Washington Post ● Mar. 23, 2023

Another administration official insisted that just because they had not announced any public actions, it doesn’t mean they were asleep at the switch.

From Washington Times ● May 12, 2022

I guess he was asleep at the switch, hey?

From Tom Slade with the Colors by Thomas Clarity

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Related Words

• inattentive
• reckless

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