What it means
If someone's switched on, they're sharp, alert, and properly tuned in. They catch what's going on fast, clock the little details, and don't need everything spelling out. You'd say it about a kid who asks the right question, a mate who reads the room quick, or a worker who's already on the fix before anyone's even raised the issue.
Usage examples
"The new hire is really switched on, she spotted the error before anyone else."
"He is so switched on that he caught the error nobody else had noticed."
"The new manager is really switched on, she had read every file before day one."
"You want Maya on the team, she’s proper switched on and clocks the problem before it turns into a whole mess."
"That kid’s seriously switched on, he heard one explanation and was already asking the smart follow-up."
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Where it comes from
It comes from the everyday idea of a switch being turned on. By the mid 20th century, especially in British English, people started using it for minds as well as machines. If you're switched on, your brain's up and running, awake to what's happening, not drifting about with the lights half off.
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