asleep at the switch

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

“Insurance Commissioner Lara has been worse than asleep at the switch. He’s been in the back rooms making deals with the insurance companies,” Jamie Court, president of the group, said at Tuesday’s event.

From Los Angeles Times

From declining to impeach Trump over obstruction in the Mueller Report to declining to refer to the Justice Department for indictment people who lie to Congress under oath or refuse to honor subpoenas to media putting ratings and rubbernecking over journalism, many have been asleep at the switch.

From Salon

The Trump campaign succeeded in changing the rules “in part because they knew what they were doing and in part because everyone else is asleep at the switch,” Ginsberg added.

From Los Angeles Times

Americans tend to be asleep at the switch.

From Salon

“They’ve been asleep at the switch,” election lawyer Benjamin Ginsberg said.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• inattentive
• reckless