Question

Asleep at the Switch not attending to one's job or failing to react quickly; not being alert

Accepted Answer

Shelley lost her job because she was asleep at the switch. This saying comes from the early days of the railroad (the mid-1800s). One of a trainman's most important duties was to switch a train from one track to another at exactly the right moment. If he fell asleep at the switch, the train might go off the tracks or crash. Today the meaning has been extended to anyone who isn't paying attention and fails to do a job at the right time.

Idiom	Asleep at the Switch
Example	Shelley lost her job because she was asleep at the switch.
Meaning	not attending to one's job or failing to react quickly; not being alert
Origin	This saying comes from the early days of the railroad (the mid-1800s). One of a trainman's most important duties was to switch a train from one track to another at exactly the right moment. If he fell asleep at the switch, the train might go off the tracks or crash. Today the meaning has been extended to anyone who isn't paying attention and fails to do a job at the right time.

Asleep Switch Job Train Shelley Lost Attending One's