light bulb went off

[alpacinou]

Hello.

Let's say people are trying to make you understand something. You don't know what is going for a while but after a while realize it.

Can I use "light bulb" in this situation?

Are these examples correct and natural?

1. I was at a teacher parents conference. They kept saying there is a trouble maker at school and some of them looked at me. I had no idea who they were talking about until they talked about a specific incident. A light bulb went off in my head and I realized they meant my son, Dylan, is the trouble maker.

2. They went out for dinner. She kept saying that they have differing views and after a while a light bulb went off in his head that she wanted to dump him.

I sort of used the idiom the way "penny dropped" is used.

 

[emsr2d2]

I tend to use "I had a light bulb moment".

 

[alpacinou]

I tend to use "I had a light bulb moment".

Are my examples not okay?

Are these okay and natural?

1. I was at a teacher parents conference. They kept saying there is a trouble maker at school and some of them looked at me. I had no idea who they were talking about until they talked about a specific incident. I had a light bulb moment and I realized they meant my son, Dylan, is the trouble maker.

2. They went out for dinner. She kept saying that they have differing views and after a while he had a light bulb momentthat she wanted to dump him.

 

[GoesStation]

It's a parent-teacher conference in American English. The hyphen is required.

 

[Tarheel]

Hello.

Let's say people are trying to make you understand something. You don't know what is going for a while but after a while realize it.

Can I use "light bulb" in this situation?

Are these examples correct and natural?

1. I was at a teacher parents conference. They kept saying there is a trouble maker at school and some of them looked at me. I had no idea who they were talking about until they talked about a specific incident. A light bulb went off in my head and I realized they meant my son, Dylan, is the trouble maker.

2. They went out for dinner. She kept saying that they have differing views and after a while a light bulb went off in his head that she wanted to dump him.

I sort of used the idiom the way "penny dropped" is used.

Your examples look good to me. (American English)

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

It's a lightbulb went on.

 

[alpacinou]

It's a lightbulb went on.

Maybe it has different variations?

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/light+bulb+went+off

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a light bulb goes off/on (in someone's head)

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Maybe it has different variations?

I suppose.

But I've never heard anyone use it that way, and one makes sense, and one doesn't. If you turn the bulb off, the room gets dark, right? When a lightbulb goes on, the room lights up.

This is why I don't write dictionaries. It's like the word literally. My dictionary says it can mean figuratively. But I don't use it that way, because it wouldn't make sense.

 

[GoesStation]

You can say The lights went on.

 

[Skrej]

I suppose.

But I've never heard anyone use it that way, and one makes sense, and one doesn't. If you turn the bulb off, the room gets dark, right? When a lightbulb goes on, the room lights up.

I've heard and used it with 'off'. It makes perfect sense if you think of the phrasal verb 'go off' - i.e. a sudden flash of inspiration, akin to photography flashes.

You're thinking of it as a light being permanently on vs. a flash of light.

 

[alpacinou]

I've heard and used it with 'off'. It makes perfect sense if you think of the phrasal verb 'go off' - i.e. a sudden flash of inspiration, akin to photography flashes.

You're thinking of it as a light being permanently on vs. a flash of light.

Do you think these examples are correct and natural?

1. I was at a parent-teacher conference. They kept saying there is a trouble maker at school and some of them looked at me. I had no idea who they were talking about until they talked about a specific incident. A light bulb went off in my head and I realized they meant my son, Dylan, is the trouble maker.

2. They went out for dinner. She kept saying that they have differing views and after a while a light bulb went off in his head that she wanted to dump him.

 

[jutfrank]

Like Charlie Bernstein, I find it quite odd that anybody would say a light bulb 'went off'.

I'd suggest you use came on, or better: lit up.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Do you think these examples are correct and natural?

1. I was at a parent-teacher conference. They kept saying there is a trouble maker at school and some of them looked at me. I had no idea who they were talking about until they talked about a specific incident. A light bulb went on in my head and I realized they meant my son, Dylan, is the trouble maker.

2. They went out for dinner. She kept saying that they have differing views and after a while a light bulb went on in his head that she wanted to dump him.

If you say off, it sounds like you fainted.

Jutfrank has some good suggestions.