Also:
On autopilot
On automatic
Meaning of Idiom ‘On Automatic Pilot’
To be on automatic pilot means to do something without thinking about it consciously; to do something in only a semi-conscious state. 1Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. 2Bengelsdorf, Peter. Idioms in the News – 1,000 Phrases, Real Examples. N.p.: Amz Digital Services, 2012.
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Sentence Examples
“The drive home was so long that by the last half of it I was on autopilot the whole way.”
“I was so tired yesterday I was on automatic pilot all day. I don’t know how I got through the day”
“Doctors often work such long shifts at hospitals they end up operating on autopilot.”
“My job is not very interesting but it gives me lots of time to think. I can do it on automatic pilot.”
“The way I see, he’s one of those guys who goes through life like a robot. He can’t help it. He’s like a damn machine on automatic pilot.” — Box of Moonlight (1997)
“I don’t need no help, brother. I’m on automatic pilot.” — I Am What I Am (1989)
“Following Mona’s death, he only seemed to function on automatic pilot.” — Judge John Deed: Exacting Justice (2001)
“I just don’t understand how this happened. He just sort of went on auto-pilot.” — Date Night (2010)
“So, even when I started to have this revelation of maybe I don’t believe in God, and yet I’m still presenting myself as a preacher, it didn’t stop me. I mean, I was on autopilot. It’s what I do.” — The Last Exorcism (2010)
“How you feeling?” “Me? I’m fine, I think. I’m on autopilot.” — Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection (2012)
“So what happened out there? I don’t really remember. It’s just images, like flashes. I kind of went on autopilot.” — House M.D.: Larger Than Life (2011)
Origin
For aircraft and ship pilots, an auto-pilot (automatic pilot) is a device that automatically keeps a plane or ship moving in the proper direction without any human involvement. When used literally, to be on autopilot means to have engaged this device rather than to be actively handling the controls. This extended to figurative use to describe when people perform actions without much thought or attention. 3McIntosh, Colin. Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
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