idiot box

noun

, Slang.

1. a television set; television.

idiot box

noun

1. slang.
   a television set

Word History and Origins

Origin of idiot box¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Idioms and Phrases

A television set, as in There they sit in front of the idiot box, hour after hour . This slangy and pejorative expression dates from about 1960.

Example Sentences

The “idiot box” was considered a wasteland if not a scourge.

From New York Times

For those of us who’ve watched TV grow from the unfairly derided “idiot box” to become the preeminent art form of the 21st century, such a development seems at once completely absurd and tragically inevitable.

From Los Angeles Times

All those services — all those shows — and when we plop down in front of the idiot box it still takes us 20 minutes to decide what to watch.

From Washington Post

And there I was at home on our hand-me-down couch with a tiny Sally nestled in the crook of one arm while I stared at the palm-sized idiot box cradled in my other hand.

From Washington Post

Kids were already parked in front of the “idiot box” for hours and absorbing everything they saw, so why not numbers and letters, too?

From Washington Post