Dictionary

lights-out en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈlaɪts.aʊt/

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Done or performed in the dark because of a fully automated working environment. Often describes night shift or third shift work.
   • lights-out manufacturing
   • Their night shift is lights-out production. Their day shift handles tooling, setup, and staging to make sure that everything is ready for the next lights-out run.
   • lights-out production

Relateds

out like a light · put someone's light out · dark factory

lights-out en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈlaɪts.aʊt/

Meanings

1. (uncountable) The time at night at which artificial lights are to be turned off, a curfew or bedtime.
2. (uncountable) The prescribed bedtime for persons living in a boarding school or staying in a hospital.
   • We were all expected to be in bed by lights-out.
3. (euphemistic, idiomatic, uncountable) Something hopeless, over; unconsciousness.
   • It's gonna be lights out for you, pal!
   • Hardy landed a picture perfect right uppercut square on Padilla's jaw. It was lights out for the formerly undefeated pugilist. 1990 Feb, “Sparring in the Financial Markets”, in Black Enterprise, volume 20, number 7, page 162:
   • Then, come November, the hunters are sitting there waiting for the unsuspecting gullible deer, and then it's lights out for the deer. 2010, “A Memo from the devil”, in Catholic Bible 101, archived from the original on 31 Jan 2010:
4. (idiomatic, uncountable) A decisive play.
   • No one could really stop him in the second half and he was lights-out in OHL playoffs. 2017 July 17, Mike G. Morreale, “'Super Buddies' McLeod, Bastian look to make mark with Devils”, in NHL.com:

Relateds

curfew

Translations (9)

hu lámpaoltás (the prescribed bedtime for persons living in a boarding school or staying in a hospital) · hu villanyoltás (the prescribed bedtime for persons living in a boarding school or staying in a hospital) · cs večerka (the time at night at which artificial lights are to be turned off, a curfew or bedtime) · cs večerka (the prescribed bedtime for persons living in a boarding school or staying in a hospital) · fr couvre-feu (the time at night at which artificial lights are to be turned off, a curfew or bedtime) · hu lámpaoltás (the time at night at which artificial lights are to be turned off, a curfew or bedtime) · ru отбой (the time at night at which artificial lights are to be turned off, a curfew or bedtime) · ru отбой (the prescribed bedtime for persons living in a boarding school or staying in a hospital) · hu villanyoltás (the time at night at which artificial lights are to be turned off, a curfew or bedtime)