Couch potato
Meaning
A lazy person who spends an excessive amount of time sitting on a couch, often watching television or playing video games.
Origin
In 1976, an American named Tom Iacino was joking with his friend, Robert Armstrong, a member of a quirky Los Angeles club. This club, dedicated to the art of sedentary television watching, needed a name. Iacino quipped "Couch Potato," and the name stuck like glue. It perfectly captured the image of someone rooted to their sofa, absorbing endless hours of TV like a vegetable. The term quickly jumped from this small group to the pages of the Los Angeles Times by 1979, swiftly embedding itself into the public consciousness as the ultimate shorthand for laid-back, inactive leisure.
Examples
- After a long week of work, all he wanted to do was be a couch potato and binge-watch his favorite series.
- She scolded her son for being a couch potato all summer instead of going outside to play with his friends.