Idiot box

Common synonyms include: boob tube, goggle box, television, television receiver, television set, telly.

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
Television. Canada, US, idiomatic
"During the long, dreary, wet winter I amused myself by watching college and Pro basketball on the idiot box."
2
an electronic device that receives television signals and displays them on a screen wordnet

"During the long, dreary, wet winter I amused myself by watching college and Pro basketball on the idiot box."

From idiot + box, an allusion to the supposed mind-reducing nature of television programming or its lack of educational value.