- The term “mouse potato” is a blending of “mouse” and “couch potato”. Just as a couch potato is a person who spends a lot of time watching TV, a mouse potato spends a lot of time doing things on the computer. Typically, this term refers to one who spends time surfing the internet, playing computer games, and doing other things that imply that the person is wasting time. The connection between couch and mouse is metaphorical. One who is a couch potato spends much time sitting or lying on the couch watching TV. One who is a mouse potato spends much time using their computer mouse to control the computer. In both cases, the word preceding couch is one that facilitates an action (sitting or controlling the mouse) associated with the activity (watching the TV or using the computer). The term “mouse potato” has a sound similar to that of “couch potato”. The term mouse potato is an example of synecdoche, where mouse is used to refer to the computer as a whole. This term is useful in the modern world, with such great technological advancements and the ever increasing use of computers. It is an informal term which is used among all age groups.
mouse potato
noun; blending
one who spends vast amounts of time at the computer
Etymology : Mouse potato is a blending of “Mouse”, symbolizing the computer, and “couch potato”, meaning one who spends a lot of time in front of the television. The word mouse comes from Old English mus meaning ‘small rodent’ from Proto-Germanic mus, from Proto-Indo-European muhs meaning ‘mouse’. Mouse came to refer to a device used to control movement of a pointer on a computer in 1965, by a metaphorical connection between the shapes of the device and the animal. Couch is from Old French couche meaning ‘a bed, lair’, from coucher meaning ‘to lie down’, from Latin collocare meaning ‘to lie down’. Potato is from the Spanish work patata, from Carib batata, meaning ‘sweet potato’. The use of the word “couch potato” was first recognized in 1979, to mean one who spends a lot of time lying down watching TV.
Source : “You have spent your whole Saturday in front of the computer? You are a mouse potato.” –Friend, November 2008
Last modified: 4 December 2008