switch
[ swich ]
/ swɪtʃ /
noun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
Idioms for switch
asleep at the switch, Informal.
failing to perform one's duty, missing an opportunity, etc., because of negligence or inattention: He lost the contract because he was asleep at the switch.
Origin of switch
1585–95; earlier
swits, switz slender riding whip, flexible stick; compare Low German (Hanoverian)
schwutsche long, thin stick
SYNONYMS FOR switch
OTHER WORDS FROM switch
Words nearby switch
swiss steak,
swiss tournament,
swisser,
swissvale,
swit.,
switch,
switch box,
switch cane,
switch engine,
switch grass,
switch off
British Dictionary definitions for asleep at the switch
switch
/ (swɪtʃ) /
noun
verb
See also
switch off,
switch on
Derived forms of switch
switcher, noun switchlike, adjectiveWord Origin for switch
C16: perhaps from Middle Dutch
swijch branch, twig
Idioms and Phrases with asleep at the switch (1 of 2)
asleep at the switch
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.
Idioms and Phrases with asleep at the switch (2 of 2)
switch