asleep at the switch

Meaning: (idiomatic)Neglectfulof animportanttask,responsibility, oropportunity.Synonym:asleep at the wheel1909, Clinton Rogers Woodruff, “Municipal Review 1907-1908,”, inThe American Journal of Sociology, volume14, number 4, page488:His vote demonstrates that the people of Philadelphia are notasleep at the switch, are not indifferent to their political duties.1922,P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 10, inRight Ho, Jeeves:My guardian angel had not beenasleep at the switch.1974, S. D. Isard, "Review ofComputer Models of Thought and Language,"Science, New Series, vol. 186, no. 4164 (15 Nov.), p. 625:It is sometimes difficult to guess whether a sentence has been garbled by the author or the typesetter. . . . In either case, the editors wereasleep at the switch.2003, Donald Bartlett and James Steele, "Asleep at the Switch,"Time, 13 Oct.:Why America (but not Canada) failed to set up a needed synfuels industry.

Examples:

EN: Well, they must have been asleep at the switch up there.
ES: Seguramente se durmieron junto al detonador.
EN: Yeah. He fell asleep at the switch.
ES: Sí, bajó la guardia.
EN: Alright, heads up Marco Kevin and Liz are asleep at the switch.
ES: Muy bien, tenga los ojos bien abiertos Marco. Kevin y Liz coloquense ya en sus posiciones.
EN: It'll look like we're asleep at the switch.
ES: Parecerá que estemos dormidos en el cambio.
EN: Jesus Christ. Have we been asleep at the switch?
ES: Dios santo, ¿nos descuidamos?
EN: You're supposed to look out for that madam, fucking asleep at the switch.
ES: Se supone que cuides a la madama estúpida dormida de guardia.
EN: Well, Shep, I hope you don't think I've been asleep at the switch.
ES: Bueno, Chap, espero que no creas que he estado dormido en todo esto.
EN: What happens if Henry's asleep at the switch when the big bang goes boom?
ES: ¿Qué pasa si Henry se duerme en los controles cuando el Big Bang explote?
EN: I haven't really had a chance to look at it, though. OK. Well, let's not fall asleep at the switch here.
ES: - No he tenido tiempo de verlo.
EN: Thank God you guys weren't asleep at the switch.
ES: Gracias a Dios que no estabais dormidos en la cabina.
EN: Walked right by the security cameras for you. Somebody's asleep at the switch.
ES: He pasado delante de las cámaras de seguridad.
EN: You're asleep at the switch of danger.
ES: Estás dormido en el conmutador de peligro.
EN: So, were you asleep at the switch?
ES: Por lo tanto, usted estaba dormido en el interruptor?
EN: - But were you asleep at the switch?
ES: - Pero estabas dormido en el interruptor?
EN: So you were asleep at the switch?
ES: Así que usted estaba dormido en el interruptor?

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