Idiom/Phrase: Heath Robinson
- (a)Very complicated system or machine for doing a simple task
- (b)Treating everyone as enemy, when they are not
- (c)Sleeping all day, doing nothing
- (d)Very lazy person, slow in action
Answer
A
Why
Correct — A, a very complicated system or machine for doing a simple task. 'Heath Robinson', after the British cartoonist W. Heath Robinson who drew absurdly elaborate contraptions, describes an over-complicated, ramshackle device built to perform a simple job.
Why the others are wrong
- (b)Treating everyone as enemy, when they are not — Unrelated — the phrase describes a contraption, not a suspicious attitude.
- (c)Sleeping all day, doing nothing — Unrelated to the meaning of an over-complex machine.
- (d)Very lazy person, slow in action — Unrelated — 'Heath Robinson' refers to a device's over-elaborate design, not a person's laziness.
Concept
An idiom-meaning item — 'Heath Robinson' names an absurdly over-complicated device built for a simple task, from the cartoonist of that name.
Key facts
- The American equivalent of a 'Heath Robinson' device is a 'Rube Goldberg' machine.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
A 'Rube Goldberg machine' is:
- (a)a simple, efficient tool
- (b)an overly complex device for a simple task
- (c)a type of car engine
- (d)a famous painting
Answer(b) an overly complex device for a simple task — the American counterpart of 'Heath Robinson'.
- practice — not a real PYQ
To 'over-engineer' something means to:
- (a)design it too simply
- (b)make it needlessly complicated
- (c)build it very cheaply
- (d)finish it very quickly
Answer(b) make it needlessly complicated — adding complexity a simple job does not need.