Tune out
Meaning: To stop paying attention or to mentally disengage from something.
Originally from turning a radio dial away from a station, 'tune out' now means mentally disengaging from anything — a boring lecture, an argument, background noise. Timothy Leary's famous 'turn on, tune in, drop out' gave it countercultural weight.
Examples
- I completely tuned out during that meeting — it was so boring. 那场会议上我完全走神了——实在太无聊了。Desconecté por completo durante esa reunión — era aburridísima.あの会議中は完全に意識が飛んでた——退屈すぎて。그 회의 중에 완전히 딴생각하고 있었어——너무 지루해서.
- She tunes out whenever politics comes up. 一聊到政治她就自动屏蔽。Ella desconecta siempre que sale el tema de la política.彼女は政治の話になるといつも聞き流す。그녀는 정치 이야기가 나오면 항상 귀를 닫아.
- The audience started tuning out after the first hour. 过了第一个小时之后,观众开始走神了。El público empezó a desconectar pasada la primera hora.観客は最初の1時間を過ぎたあたりから興味を失い始めた。관객들은 첫 한 시간이 지나자 관심을 잃기 시작했어.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: boredom, disengagement, media
Tone: dismissive, honest
✓ Do Say
- I totally tuned out.我完全走神了。Desconecté totalmente.I totally tuned out.(完全に聞き流してた。)완전히 딴생각하고 있었어.
- Most viewers tuned out by the second half.大多数观众在下半场就不看了。La mayoría de los espectadores desconectaron en la segunda mitad.Most viewers tuned out by the second half.(後半にはほとんどの視聴者が離れていた。)대부분의 시청자는 후반에 관심을 끊었어.
✗ Don't Say
- Don't tell someone to 'tune out' during an important conversation — it's dismissive不要在重要对话中让别人'tune out'——这是一种不尊重的说法No le digas a alguien que 'desconecte' durante una conversación importante — es despectivo大切な会話の最中に相手に「tune out」しろとは言わないこと——失礼にあたる중요한 대화 중에 상대에게 'tune out'하라고 말하지 않는다 — 무례하게 들린다
Origin & History
From radio culture in the 1920s-30s, where you would 'tune out' a station by changing the dial. Timothy Leary's 1966 counterculture phrase 'Turn on, tune in, drop out' popularized a different interpretation.
Cultural Context
Era: 1920s-1930s radio
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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