Meaning of babysitter test | Babel Free

Definitions

1. An informal method for assessing the maturity, reliability, or probity of a person, inviting one to judge whether one would entrust this person with the care of one's own children.
   idiomatic
2. A test for the ease of use of household appliances.
   idiomatic

Examples

“The babysitter, presumably between the ages of ten and 15, is quite explicitly expected to function in a way usually expected of mature individuals.”

“To highlight the inadequacy of such evidence, we propose what we call “the babysitter test” for future prosecution witnesses in death penalty cases. We suggest that, to send someone to the gurney or the electric chair on the word of one witness, the prosecutor must agree to hire that witness as a babysitter for her or his kids for one evening.”

“I use a babysitter test when it comes to Israel, Indyk said. Do I trust this man or woman with my child? Will he or she be in the trenches when it really counts? Obama would.”

“"We set out to create a remote that passes the babysitter test," says Klarke, director of marketing and development for Harmony remotes.”

“I call it the babysitter test. Can I give a remote control to a 15-year-old, gum-snapping Valley Girl and explain, clearly and succinctly in less than 3 minutes, how she can watch TV? Without getting a panicked call when American Idol begins? TiVo passes the test.”

“At the devices’ launch, the company claimed this ease of use would pass “the babysitter test” of making TVs and DVD players intuitive to use.”

CEFR level