goggle-box: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low/ArchaicInformal, colloquial, dated
Quick answer
What does “goggle-box” mean?
A television set.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A television set.
The concept of television as a medium for passive viewing, often implying a sedentary, uncritical consumption of broadcast content.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is almost exclusively British. The equivalent American slang terms from the same era would be 'boob tube' or 'idiot box'.
Connotations
In British English, it's nostalgic and humorous. In American English, it is largely unknown and would likely be misunderstood.
Frequency
Extremely rare in contemporary UK speech, considered dated. Virtually non-existent in US English.
Grammar
How to Use “goggle-box” in a Sentence
[Subject] + stare at + the goggle-boxspend + [Time Period] + in front of + the goggle-boxVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “goggle-box” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- We're just planning to goggle-box all evening.
- He spent the weekend goggle-boxing old sitcoms.
American English
- Not used as a verb in AmE.
adverb
British English
- Not typically used.
American English
- Not used.
adjective
British English
- He had a typical goggle-box stare.
- A goggle-box generation emerged in the 1950s.
American English
- Not used as an adjective in AmE.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Not used; appears only in historical/sociolinguistic studies of media.
Everyday
Used humorously or by older generations to refer to the television.
Technical
Not used.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “goggle-box”
- Using it in a formal context.
- Using it in contemporary American English where it is unknown.
- Spelling as 'google-box'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is considered dated and archaic, used mainly for humorous or nostalgic effect by older speakers in the UK.
From a similar era, American English used 'boob tube' or 'idiot box'. Both, like 'goggle-box', carry a mildly derogatory connotation.
Rarely, and only in British informal contexts. It means 'to watch television', e.g., 'We goggle-boxed all night.'
It combines 'goggle' (to stare with wide eyes) and 'box' (referring to the physical television set), humorously describing the act of staring at the television.
A television set.
Goggle-box is usually informal, colloquial, dated in register.
Goggle-box: in British English it is pronounced /ˈɡɒɡl̩ bɒks/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈɡɑːɡl̩ bɑːks/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “glued to the goggle-box”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine someone with goggles on staring fixedly at a large, boxy television set from the 1960s.
Conceptual Metaphor
TELEVISION IS A HYPNOTIC DEVICE (the 'goggle' part suggests wide, fixed eyes).
Practice
Quiz
In which variety of English is 'goggle-box' a dated slang term for television?