Wednesday's Random Slang-o-rama: Asleep at the switch

I suddenly realized that, yes, Wednesday is nearly over and I have not posted Slang-o-rama! I am definitely asleep at the switch this week. That is, unprepared; lacking alertness; inattentive...

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... at least, that is how Heavens to Betsy and Other Curious Sayings, by Charles Earle Funk, defines it.

According to Funk, this "American expression" relates to the railroads and is almost literal in meaning:

It dates from the time when railroad switches or turnouts were thrown or turned by levers operated by hand, either by switch-tenders or brakemen. In a freight yard especially, where it was the duty of the switch-tender to shunt cars to the proper tracks, alertness was an essential. Lack of attention gave rise to the charge that he was asleep at the switch.

Curious to see if I could find out more (first appearance of this idiom, perhaps?) I turned to the internet. In Idioms in the News - 1,000 Phrases, Real Examples by Peter Bengelsdorf, I found the following passage:

Well, now I had to chase down the poem itself. I found "Asleep at the Switch" here, on the site Poetry Nook (which unfortunately is littered with annoying ads).

I also found a reference to an 1897 ballad by that title, which again references Hoey's poem.

I even found a video of a reading of the poem on YouTube, with some great old-time piano music in the background... 

I hope this sudden flurry of activity and research will absolve me from being late with this week's post!

It's already Wednesday??
Image by Hands off my tags! Michael Gaida from Pixabay