Synonyms for asleep at the switch
| Grammar : Adj, adv |
| Spell : swich |
| Phonetic Transcription : swɪtʃ |
Top 10 synonyms for asleep at the switch
- foolhardy
- goofing off
- impetuous
- imprudent
- inadvertent
- incautious
- inconsiderate
- irreflective
- napping
- neglectful
- negligent
- not on the job
- oblivious
- out to lunch
- precipitate
- rash
- slapdash
- sloppy
- thoughtless
- unalert
- uncaring
- unguarded
- unmindful
- unobservant
- unprepared
- unready
- unthinking
- unwary
- unwatchful
Définition of asleep at the switch
Origin :- 1590s, "slender riding whip," probably from a Flemish or Low German word akin to Hanoverian swutsche, a variant of Low German zwukse "long thin stick, switch," from Germanic base *swih- (cf. Old High German zwec "wooden peg," German Zweck "aim, design," originally "peg as a target," Zwick "wooden peg"), perhaps connected with PIE root *swei- "to swing, bend, to turn."
- The meaning "device for changing the direction of something or making or breaking a connection" is first recorded 1797. "The peg sense suits the mech(anical) applications" [Weekley], and these senses may be a direct borrowing from those senses in Continental Germanic languages rather than a continuation of the "pliant wand" sense. The meaning "a change, a reversal, an exchange, a substitution" is first recorded 1920.
- As in heedless : adj careless
- As in off-guard : adv when not paying attention
Antonyms for asleep at the switch
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019