A remote control is the handheld set of buttons that changes television channels from the sofa. Also, the thing nobody can ever find.
It is usually shortened to the remote, and British households have a whole folklore about who holds it. Early ones were connected by a wire and later ones used ultrasound, which set dogs off. Modern ones use infrared and need a clear line of sight, which is why waving it about sometimes works. The phrase also describes operating anything at a distance.
1nounremote controlA handheld device for operating equipment from a distance.
“The remote control had fallen down the back of the sofa.”
Also accepted in games: remote
Practised in Around the House, A Man Called Ove
First appears in chapter 4 of A Man Called Ove.
Practise this word