asleep at the wheel

not paying attention asleep at the switch Why was our government asleep at the wheel when the crisis began?

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of asleep at the wheel (sleeping while driving a vehicle)

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Virginia	vər-JIN-yə (English), veer-JEE-nyah (Italian), beer-KHEE-nyah (Spanish)	English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Greetje	KHRAY:-tyə	Dutch
Mahthildis	-	Ancient Germanic
Eleazar	el-ee-AY-zər (English)	Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Epiphanes	-	Ancient Greek
SigrÚN	-	Ancient Scandinavian, Norse Mythology, Icelandic