idiot box
The home screen
Idiot box is slang for television, implying that watching it is mindless or makes you stupid.
The term dates from the mid-20th century and carries a mildly dismissive tone: Turn off the idiot box and read a book.
It feels dated now, perhaps because screens have multiplied beyond the living room TV.
Slang for television
- tellyBritish TV slang
- tubeHollow cylindrical passage
- boxLidded storage container
- small screenTelevision as a medium
set · television set · TV set · living room furniture · screen · home entertainment · video screen
Making content less challenging
- brainwashingCoercive psychological manipulation
- mindlessLacking thought or awareness
- brain rotCognitive decline from junk media
- escapismHabitual mental retreat
superficiality · manipulation · propaganda · consumerism · materialism · sedentary lifestyle · addiction · triviality
Rapid consecutive episode viewing
- channel surfingRapidly changing television stations
- vegging outRelaxing mindlessly, inactive
- zoning outLosing conscious attention temporarily
- marathon viewingConsuming many episodes straight
background noise · commercial breaks · prime time · late night · appointment viewing · second screen · livestream · on-demand
Habitual sedentary TV watcher
- captive audienceGroup forced to listen
- cord cutterOne who drops cable TV
- subscriberOne who enrolls regularly
Humorous television series
- soap operasSerialized melodramatic television programs
- reality TVFilmed unscripted programming
- game showsTelevised competitions with prizes
- talk showsInterview-based broadcast programs
infomercials · cartoons · dramas · commercials · advertisements · variety shows · telenovelas · documentaries
boob tube
Slang for television
small screen · set · television set · TV set · living room furniture · screen · home entertainment · video screen
dumbing down
Making content less challenging
- brainwashingCoercive psychological manipulation
- mindlessLacking thought or awareness
- brain rotCognitive decline from junk media
escapism · superficiality · manipulation · propaganda · consumerism · materialism · sedentary lifestyle · addiction · triviality · shallowness
binge-watching
Rapid consecutive episode viewing
- channel surfingRapidly changing television stations
- vegging outRelaxing mindlessly, inactive
- zoning outLosing conscious attention temporarily
marathon viewing · background noise · commercial breaks · prime time · late night · appointment viewing · second screen · livestream · on-demand · DVR
couch potato
Habitual sedentary TV watcher
- captive audienceGroup forced to listen
- cord cutterOne who drops cable TV
- subscriberOne who enrolls regularly
sitcoms
Humorous television series
- soap operasSerialized melodramatic television programs
- reality TVFilmed unscripted programming
- game showsTelevised competitions with prizes
talk shows · infomercials · cartoons · dramas · commercials · advertisements · variety shows · telenovelas · documentaries · talent shows
- televisionTV, television, broadcast, TV shows, TV series
idiot boxbook
Bound written work
library · literature · documentary · lecture · the arts
idiot boxradio
Electromagnetic wave receiver
book · newspaper · print media · reading material · audiobook
idiot, idiotic, idiots, idiosyncrasy, idiosyncratic, idiotically, idiolect, goggle box