idiot light

noun

Etymology

From idiot + light, suggesting that even a stupid person with no mechanical knowledge can recognize a problem when thus indicated.

  1. inherited from *lewktom
  2. inherited from *leuhtą
  3. inherited from *leuht
  4. inherited from lēoht
  5. inherited from light
  6. compounded as idiot light — “idiot + light

Definitions

  1. Any warning light or indicator on the dashboard of a car, designed to alert the driver to…

    Any warning light or indicator on the dashboard of a car, designed to alert the driver to problems, such as the parking brake being on or the oil being low.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for idiot light. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA